Vehicle with movable and inwardly tilting safety body

ABSTRACT

Enhanced vehicle handling is achieved by the improved suspension systems constructed in accordance with aspects of the present invention, in which not only do the roll couple and jacking couple oppose each other, thereby causing the body roll to counteract the jacking effect, but also the pitch couple and the pitching couple oppose each other, thereby causing the body pitch to counteract the pitching effect. This results in the improvement of the cornering traction of the vehicle, the braking traction of the vehicle, the acceleration traction of the vehicle (especially in a front-wheel-drive vehicle), the simultaneous cornering and braking traction of the vehicle, and the simultaneous cornering and acceleration traction of the vehicle.

CROSS-REFERENCES TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of application Ser. No. 12/488,259,filed Jun. 19, 2009, which is a continuation of application Ser. No.12/127,761, filed May 27, 2008, which is a continuation of applicationSer. No. 10/667,105, filed Sep. 18, 2003, now U.S. Pat. No. 7,377,522,which claims the benefit of Provisional Application No. 60/412,045,filed Sep. 18, 2002, the disclosures of which are hereby incorporated byreference.

BACKGROUND

When negotiating a curve with a typical automotive-type vehicle, theresulting centrifugal forces tend to roll the vehicle body andassociated chassis (hereinafter jointly referred to as “body”) about itsroll center relative to the underlying suspension system, and alsodisplace the body and suspension system laterally outwardly relative tothe radial center of the curve, tending to cause the vehicle to pivotabout its outer wheels. This latter tendency is commonly known in themotor vehicle art as the “jacking effect.” During braking andacceleration, the resulting longitudinal forces acting on a typicalautomotive-type vehicle tend to pitch the body about its pitch centerrelative to the underlying suspension system and also tend to displacethe body and suspension system forwardly during braking and rearwardlyduring acceleration to cause the vehicle to pivot about its front orrear wheels, respectively. This is known as the “pitching effect.”

The locations of the roll center and pitch center are functions of theconstruction of the vehicle body and the configuration of the vehiclesuspension system. In a conventional vehicle, the center of gravity ofthe vehicle is located above the roll center and pitch center. Since thecentrifugal forces caused by cornering and the longitudinal forcescaused by accelerating and braking act through the center of gravity ofthe vehicle, the magnitude of the couple tending to cause the body toroll about its roll center is a function of the magnitude of thecentrifugal force and the vertical distance separating the center ofgravity from the roll center, and the magnitude of the couple tending tocause the body to pitch about its pitch center is a function of themagnitude of the longitudinal force and the vertical distance separatingthe center of gravity from the pitch center. These vertical distancesare commonly known as the “roll couple” and “pitch couple,”respectively.

In a typical vehicle, as the body rolls outwardly about its roll center,it tends to compress the outer suspension springs (relative to theradial center of the curve about which the vehicle is traveling) thusincreasing the weight on the outer wheels while simultaneously unloadingthe inward suspension springs, thereby reducing the weight on the insidewheels. As a result, the cornering traction of the vehicle is reduced.Also, as the body pitches forwardly about its pitch center duringbraking, it tends to compress the forward springs, thus increasing theweight on the forward wheels while simultaneously unloading the rearwardsprings, thereby reducing the weight on the rearward wheels. Thisresulting imbalance in the weight being carried by the forward andrearward wheels decreases the maximum braking capacity of the vehicle.The foregoing loading changes on the vehicle wheels caused by corneringand braking will occur simultaneously when the vehicle's brakes areapplied while cornering, thereby potentially causing even greaterimbalance on the weights on the vehicle wheels than caused by corneringalone or braking alone. This imbalance may result in the loss ofsubstantially all of the traction of one or more wheels.

The lateral force tending to cause a vehicle to pivot about its outerwheels, i.e., jacking effect, acts through the portion of the vehicleknown as the roll reaction center. The longitudinal forces tending tocause a vehicle to pitch about its forward or rearward wheels actsthrough the pitch reaction center. In a conventional vehicle, the rollreaction center coincides with the roll center and the pitch reactioncenter coincides with the pitch center. As a result, the magnitude ofthe jacking effect is a function of the magnitude of the centrifugalforce and the elevation of the roll reaction center above the ground,and the magnitude of the pitching effect is a function of the magnitudeof the longitudinal braking/acceleration force and the elevation of thepitch reaction center above the ground. With respect to the effect ofcornering forces on a vehicle, the height of the roll reaction centerabove the ground is commonly known as the jacking couple, and withrespect to the effect of braking and acceleration forces on the vehicle,the height of the pitch reaction center above the ground is commonlyknown as the pitching couple.

In conventional vehicles, attempts have been made to design thesuspension system to minimize the heights of the roll reaction centerand pitch reaction center, thereby to reduce the jacking effect andpitching effect. Placement of the roll reaction center and the pitchreaction center at a low elevation, however, results in the center ofgravity of the body being located at a substantial distance above theroll center and pitch center, thereby increasing the magnitude of theroll couple and pitch couple. The increase in the roll couple and pitchcouple results in decreased stability of the vehicle, especially sincein typical suspension systems the body roll and jacking effect and thebody pitch and pitching effect are all cumulative, reducing the braking,acceleration and cornering ability of the vehicle.

Conventional vehicles also do not have any significant accommodation forabsorbing the energy of a vehicle crash so as to reduce the likelihoodof injury to passengers. As a consequence, all too often passengers areseriously injured, or even killed, during vehicle collisions, some ofwhich do not occur at very high speeds.

SUMMARY

This summary is provided to introduce a selection of concepts in asimplified form that are further described below in the DetailedDescription. This summary is not intended to identify key features ofthe claimed subject matter, nor is it intended to be used as an aid indetermining the scope of the claimed subject matter.

Embodiments of the present invention seek to reduce the detrimentaleffects on vehicle handling caused by braking, by acceleration, bysimultaneous cornering and braking, and by simultaneous cornering andacceleration. Embodiments of the present invention constitute animprovement of the vehicle suspension system disclosed in applicant'sprior U.S. Pat. No. 4,550,926 which simply concerns suspension systemsfor counteracting cornering forces imposed on vehicles. Enhanced vehiclehandling is achieved by the improved suspension systems of the presentinvention, in which not only do the roll couple and jacking coupleoppose each other, thereby causing the body roll to counteract thejacking effect, but also the pitch couple and the pitching couple opposeeach other, thereby causing the body pitch to counteract the pitchingeffect, thus improving the cornering traction of the vehicle, thebraking traction of the vehicle, the acceleration traction of thevehicle (especially in a front-wheel-drive-vehicle), the simultaneouscornering and braking traction of the vehicle, and the simultaneouscornering and acceleration traction of the vehicle.

To this end, vehicle suspension systems of the present invention may bejoined to the vehicle body to pivot about transverse and/or longitudinalaxes located above the center of gravity of the vehicle body so that thecornering forces acting through the center of gravity tilt the bodyabout the longitudinal axis inwardly into the curve and so thatsimultaneously the longitudinal braking or acceleration forces actingthrough the center of gravity tilt the body about the transverse axistoward the rear or front, respectively, of the vehicle.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The foregoing aspects and many of the attendant advantages of thisinvention will become more readily appreciated as the same become betterunderstood by reference to the following detailed description, whentaken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a side elevational view of an embodiment of the presentinvention;

FIG. 2 is a top view of FIG. 1 with portions broken away;

FIG. 3 is an enlarged fragmentary view of the portion of the suspensionsystem of the embodiment of FIGS. 1 and 2;

FIG. 4 is a side elevational view of another embodiment of the presentinvention;

FIG. 5 is a top view of FIG. 4 with portions broken away;

FIG. 6 is a top view of a further embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 7 is a side elevational view of FIG. 6;

FIG. 8 is a front elevational view of FIGS. 6 and 7;

FIG. 9 is a further front elevational view of the embodiment shown inFIGS. 6, 7 and 8 with the body and tie structure tilted as whennegotiating a curve;

FIG. 10 is a top view of a further embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 11 is a side elevational view of FIG. 10;

FIG. 12 is an enlarged fragmentary view of portions of the embodimentshown in FIGS. 10 and 11;

FIG. 13 is a further embodiment of the present invention in sideelevational view;

FIGS. 14, 15 and 16 illustrate a further embodiment of the presentinvention in front elevational, side elevational and top view;

FIG. 17 is a front view of a further embodiment of the presentinvention;

FIG. 18 is a front view of another embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 19 is an enlarged fragmentary view of a portion of FIG. 18;

FIG. 20 is a front elevational view of a further embodiment of thepresent invention;

FIGS. 21 and 22 are top cross-sectional views of FIG. 20;

FIG. 23 is an enlarged, fragmentary, elevational view of FIG. 20;

FIGS. 24, 25 and 26 illustrate a further embodiment of the presentinventions in front elevational view, top view and fragmentary sideelevation view;

FIG. 27 is a front elevational view of a further embodiment of thepresent invention;

FIG. 28 is another front elevational view of a further embodiment of thepresent invention;

FIG. 29 is a side elevational view of a further embodiment of thepresent invention;

FIG. 30 is a top view of another embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 31 is a side elevational view of FIG. 30;

FIG. 32 is a partial front elevational view of a further embodiment tothe present invention;

FIG. 33 is a top elevational view of a portion of FIG. 32;

FIG. 34 is a fragmentary front elevational view of a further embodimentof the present invention;

FIG. 35 is a fragmentary front elevational view of a further embodimentof the present invention;

FIG. 36 is a side elevational view of FIG. 35;

FIG. 37 is a fragmentary top view showing a further embodiment of thepresent invention;

FIG. 38 is a further alternative of the embodiment of the presentinvention shown in FIG. 37;

FIG. 39 is a front elevational view of a further embodiment of thepresent invention;

FIG. 40 is a front elevational view of a further embodiment of thepresent invention;

FIG. 41 is a front elevational view of a further embodiment of thepresent invention;

FIG. 42 is a side elevational view of a further embodiment of thepresent invention;

FIG. 43 is an enlarged fragmentary view of FIG. 42;

FIG. 44 is a side elevational view of a further embodiment of thepresent invention;

FIG. 45 is a side elevational view of another embodiment of the presentinvention;

FIG. 46 is a cross-sectional view of FIG. 45 taken substantially alonglines 46-46 thereof;

FIG. 47 is an enlarged fragmentary view of FIG. 45;

FIG. 48 is a side elevational view of a further embodiment of thepresent invention;

FIG. 49 is a side elevational view of a further embodiment of thepresent invention;

FIG. 50 is a front elevational view of the present invention integratedinto a railway car;

FIG. 51 is a top elevational view of FIG. 50;

FIG. 52 is a view similar to FIG. 50 of another embodiment of thepresent invention;

FIG. 53 is a partial front view of a further embodiment of the presentinvention;

FIG. 54 is another partial front view of a further embodiment of thepresent invention;

FIG. 55 is a partial top view of another embodiment of the presentinvention;

FIG. 56 is a fragmentary top elevational view of FIG. 55;

FIG. 57 is a fragmentary front view of a further embodiment of thepresent invention; and

FIG. 58 is a fragmentary side view of FIG. 57.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Referring initially to FIGS. 1 and 2, a vehicle 50 having a body 52 isshown as mounted on the suspension system 54 of the present invention,which in turn is supported on forward wheel assemblies 56 and rearwardwheel assemblies 58. An elongated tie structure 60 is interposed betweenthe vehicle body 52 and the wheel assemblies 56 and 58. The tiestructure 60 may extend longitudinally along the lower elevation of thevehicle 50 and is interconnected to the body 52 through a slide assembly62 to enable the body to slide longitudinally relative to the tiestructure as well as pivot about a longitudinal axis 64 which is locatedat an elevation above the center of gravity 66 of the vehicle 50. Thetie structure 60 is also connected to the wheels 56 and 58 by pivot armassembles 68.

As used in the present application, the term “body” is intended toinclude a relatively rigid structure that may include a chassis, frameand/or the body thereof, and any additional supports and membersattached thereto for accommodating the suspension system of the presentinvention.

The body 52 has a forward portion 52F and a rearward portion 52R. Thebody 52 may be constructed with a conventional body shell and anunderlying chassis, may be in the form of a unibody having an integralchassis, or may be constructed in other manners without departing fromthe spirit or scope of the present invention.

At the front of the vehicle 50, as shown in FIG. 1, the suspensionsystem 54 includes load support and control devices in the form ofcombination spring/shock absorber assemblies 70 for supporting thevehicle body 52. The upper ends of the spring/shock absorber assemblies70 are coupled to a body structure member 72 utilizing a ball jointconnection 74. The lower ends of the spring/shock absorber assemblies 70are interconnected to forward hub carriers 76 of the wheel assemblies56. The forward hub carriers are connected to the forward end portionsof the tie structure 60 by pivot arm assemblies 68 through ball joints78 located at the distal ends of the pivot arm assemblies. Spring/shockabsorber assemblies, such as assemblies 70, are well known in the artand are commonly referred to as MacPherson struts. MacPherson struts arewidely used in conjunction with both front-wheel and rear-wheel drivevehicles.

Referring to FIG. 3, at the forward corners the tie structure 60 isconnected to the hub carriers 76 by the pivot arm assemblies 68. Eachpivot arm assembly includes a generally triangular-shaped pivot arm 68Acomposed of a longitudinal member 68B, a transverse member 68C1, and adiagonal member 68C, which cooperatively form the triangular shape. Thepivot arm may be adapted to pivot relative to the forward end of tiestructure 60 about a transverse axis. To this end, the end of each pivotarm longitudinal member 68B extends beyond the transverse member 68C1 tobe closely receivable between a pair of mounting ears 68D extendinglongitudinally from the forward end of the tie structure 60. A pivot pin68E extends through the center of a bushing 68F pressed within a boreformed in the end of the longitudinal member 68B, as well as throughclose-fitting through-bores formed in the mounting ears 68D. A nut 68Gor other appropriate type of fastener may be engaged with the pin 68E toretain the pivot arm 68A between the two mounting ears 68D.

A cylindrical stub shaft 68H extends transversely from an extension 681of the pivot arm diagonal member 68C that extends beyond the transversemember 68C1 in the same manner in which the longitudinal member 68B ofthe pivot arm extends beyond the transverse member 68C1. The stub shaft68H may engage within a close-fitting bushing 68J pressed within a boreformed in a mounting bracket 68K, which is secured to the adjacent faceof the tie structure end member. The mounting bracket 68K, which may becomposed of a standard, commercially available pillow block, is mountedon the tie structure member by any appropriate means, such as byhardware members 68L, extending through openings formed in the flangeportions of the mounting bracket and into engagement with the end of thetie structure. It will be appreciated that, by this construction, thepivot arm 68A is adapted to freely pivot about its transverse axis.

Each pivot arm assembly 68 also includes a spring-type directionalcontrol device in the form of a torsion bar 68M having a splined end 68Nfor anti-rotational engagement with the correspondingly splined interiorof a stub shaft 68H. The opposite end of the torsion bar extends throughthe close-fitting bushing 68O pressed within a mounting bracket 68P. Themounting bracket 68P is secured to the adjacent face of the tiestructure 60 by any appropriate method, for instance, by hardwaremembers 68Q extending through holes formed in the flange portions of themounting bracket 68P to threadably engage the tie structure. As withmounting bracket 68K, the mounting bracket 68P may be composed of astandard, commercially available pillow block.

The torsion bar 68M may be adjusted to impose no appreciable load whenthe vehicle is at rest and in a level orientation. This is accomplishedby adjusting the position of a bearing plate 68R relative to the freeend of a cantilevered swing arm 68S extending upwardly from the end ofthe torsion bar 68M, which extends beyond the mounting bracket 68P. Thelower end of the swing arm 68S is fixedly attached to the torsion bar68M by any appropriate method, for instance, by use of splines (notshown) or weldments (not shown). The bearing plate 68R is carried by thelead end of a lead screw 68T, or similar member, extending forwardlyfrom the tie structure 60. It will be appreciated that the location ofthe bearing plate is adjusted by rotation of the lead screw 68T.

As in any motor vehicle, the forward wheels 56 of vehicle 50 aresteerable. Such steering may be carried out by any number ofconventional steering systems which may include typical steering arms(not shown) extending from the forward hub carriers 76 to interconnectwith a transfer steering rod assembly (not shown). The steering rodassembly may extend outwardly from a rack and pinion assembly (notshown) mounted on the tie structure 60. Typically, the interconnectionbetween the steering rod assemblies and the rack and pinion assemblypermits the steering rod to pivot in response to the up-and-down andother movement to the front wheels relative to the tie structure.Typically, this is made possible by utilizing ball joints between thesteering rod assemblies and the hub carriers, as well as between thesteering rod assemblies and the rack and pinion assembly.

At the rear of the vehicle 50, the suspension system 54 includes loadsupporting and control devices in the form of combination spring/shockabsorber assemblies 80 for supporting a rear portion 52R of the vehiclebody. The rear spring/shock absorber assemblies 80 may be similar inconstruction and installation to the forward spring/shock absorberassemblies 70. In this regard, the upper ends of the rear spring/shockabsorber assemblies 80 are secured to overhead portions of the body 52at rear locations of the body structure member 72 through the use ofball joints 82. The lower ends of the spring/shock absorber assemblies80 are coupled to and carried by rear hub carriers 84 of the rear wheelassemblies 58.

The rear hub carriers 84 are connected to the distal, rearward ends ofpivot arm assemblies 86 by ball joints 82. The pivot arm assemblies 86may be similar in construction and operation to pivot arm assembly 68,described above. The rear wheels 58 may be powered by vehicle engine 89mounted on the tie structure. Alternatively, the engine and associateddrive train may be mounted on the body instead of the tie structure. Ina manner typical of conventional vehicles, a transmission 90 may beinterposed between engine 88 and a rearwardly extending drive shaft 92.The rearward end of the drive shaft is coupled to a differential 94.Transverse axial shafts 96 extend outwardly from opposite sides of thedifferential 94 to drive the rear wheel assemblies 58.

Optionally, a dampening system may be used in conjunction with the rearpivot arm assemblies 86, as well as the front pivot arm assemblies 68.In this regard, a dampening system 95 is shown in FIG. 1 in conjunctionwith rear pivot arm assembly 86. The dampening system 95 includes abracket 97 fixed to and extending laterally from pivot arm of the pivotarm assembly 86 to be coupled to the distal end of a dampener/shockabsorber 99, which in turn is coupled to a bracket 101 dependingdownwardly from tie structure longitudinal side member 98. It will beappreciated that by this construction the pivoting movement of the pivotarm assembly is dampened to a degree desired.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the tie structure 60 of the present inventionmay be generally in the form of a rectangular box type structure thatextends longitudinally along the lower elevations of vehicle 50 betweenthe hub carriers of the forward and rearward wheels 56 and 58. In oneembodiment of the present invention the tie structure may be composed ofelongated top and bottom side members 98 and 100 extending along bothsides of the vehicle 50 and spaced vertically apart by forward andrearward vertical members 102 and 104, as well as by forward andrearward intermediate vertical members 106. The forward ends of thelongitudinal members 98 and 100 may be transversely connected by upperand lower crossmembers 108 and 110. These same crossmembers may beutilized at the rear end of the tie structure 60. A plurality ofintermediate crossmembers 112 may be utilized for reinforcing purposes.Additional reinforcing members (not shown) may be added to the tiestructure 60, if needed. The tie structure 60 may be constructed frommany appropriate materials, such as tubing or channel stock. Moreover,the tie structure may be constructed in other configurations withoutdeparting from the spirit or scope of the present invention.

The slide system 62 extends longitudinally between body 52 and tiestructure 60, and is supported above the tie structure by forward andrearward assemblies 114 and 116 that may be in the form of A-arms orother structure. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the arm assembly 114includes opposed arm Sections 118 and 120 interconnected with crossarms121A and 121B to form a rigid assembly structure. The forward endportion of arm Sections 118 and 120 are pivotally pinned at the lowerforward ends to the corner portions of the upper section of the tiestructure 60. A cross pin 122 captures the forward lower end portion ofthe arm Sections 118 and 120 between parallel, spaced-apart mountingears 124 and 126 extending upwardly from the tie structure 60. From theconnection location with the tie structure 60, the arm Sections 118 and120 extend upwardly and inwardly to couple with a gimbal assembly 128mounted on the forward end of a stub shaft 130 projecting forwardly fromslide 132 of the slide assembly 62. A cross shaft 134 connects theadjacent ends of arm Sections 118 and 120 to the gimbal assembly 128. Inthis manner, the slide 132 together with the body is capable of tiltingabout longitudinal axis 64 (defined by stub shaft 130 and gimbal 128)relative to arm assembly 114. In addition, the slide 132, together withthe body, is capable of pitching movement relative to the arm assembly114 at an axis 135 extending transversely through the gimbal assembly128 to pitch about a pitch center PC defined by the intersection oflines 135A and 135B extending from arm assemblies 114 and 116 as shownin FIG. 1.

The rear arm assemblies 116 may be constructed similarly to the forwardarm assemblies 114. Thus, the construction of the rearward arm assembly116 will not be repeated here. Also, it is to be understood that ratherthan using front and rear arm assemblies, the slide system would besupported by arm assemblies that are coupled to side portions of the tiestructure 60.

The slide assembly 62 includes an elongate, rectangular, slide member132 extending through and capable of sliding relative to an exteriorlongitudinal collar-type slideway 136 that may encase the entire, or atleast a portion of, the slide 132 extending between the forward arm 114and rearward arm assemblies 116. The slideway 136 may be attached tovehicle body 52 by attachment brackets 138 or by other convenienttechnique.

As will be appreciated, the slide system 62 enables the body 52 to movelongitudinally relative to the tie structure 60. For example, if thebody 52 impacts against another vehicle or other structure, thisrelative movement between the body and tie structure enables the body tomove relative to the tie structure in the direction that the impact loadis applied to the body, i.e., away from the impact location. This mayadvantageously result in reduced crash forces imposed on passengers inthe vehicle (especially if the vehicle seat or seats are adapted to moverelative to the body 52, in a manner for example, disclosed below) andless damage to the vehicle since some of the energy of the impact isexpended in moving the slide 132 relative to the slideway 136.

The slideway may be nominally held in position relative to the slide 132by a shear pin 139. If a crash occurs, as described above, the shear pin139 will break, allowing relative movement of the body 52 and tiestructure 60. In addition, a selected friction load may be appliedbetween the slide 132 and the slideway 136 to help absorb the forceapplied to the vehicle during a crash. Moreover, such friction load canbe designed to increase linearly or nonlinearly with the distance ofrelative travel between the slide 132 and the slideway 136. Also, othertechniques may be used to nominally position the slideway 136 relativeto the slide, such as through the use of springs or other resilientmembers (not shown).

It is to be understood that vehicle 50 may be constructed without theslide system 62 and still provide significant advantages overconventional automobiles and other vehicles.

It will be appreciated that in the embodiment of the present inventionshown in FIGS. 1 and 2, as well as in other embodiments of the presentinvention, if the body moves significantly due to a crash or other largeimpact load, the connections between the spring/shock absorberassemblies 70 and 80 with the body and/or hub carriers are designed tobreak away. Such break away connection can be designed to not causesignificant damage to the spring/shock absorber assemblies, so that theycan be re-used.

Also, it will be appreciated that portions of the body may beconstructed with crushable body panels or parts that absorb at leastsome of the energy during a crash. This could result in less overalldamage to the vehicle and less injury to the passengers, as opposed to aconventional vehicle.

In another aspect of the present invention, when the vehicle 50 iscornering, the centrifugal force imposed on the body 52 acts at thecenter of gravity 66, which is below the elevation of gimbals 128,resulting in the outward lateral movement of the center of gravity,thereby causing the body to tilt about the longitudinal axis 64 or rollcenter at the gimbals 128, rather than imposing a jacking effect on thevehicle. As a result, the body 52 is tilted inwardly about axis 64 inthe direction towards the center of the curve along which the vehicle 50is traveling. The body, as thus tilted, thereby compresses the insidesprings 70 and 80 and causes extension of the outside springs. Inaddition, by the inward tilting of the body, a relatively larger load isretained on the inside wheel assemblies of the vehicle 50, rather thanbeing shifted substantially to the outside wheel assemblies of thevehicle in the manner of a conventional vehicle. This enables vehicle 50to maintain better traction when negotiating a corner than aconventional vehicle.

In addition, when the vehicle 50 negotiates a corner, the centrifugalforces acting on the body 52 and the tie structure 60 cause the outwardpivot arm assemblies 68 and 86 to pivot about the tie structure to windup the torsion bars 68M, thereby to allow the outward side of the tiestructure to lower somewhat. Simultaneously, the centrifugal forcesacting on the body 52 and the tie structure 60 tend to cause the inwardpivot arm assemblies to pivot in the opposite direction about the tiestructure, thereby allowing the inward side of the tie structure toraise upwardly somewhat relative to the body. This outward roll of thetie structure is significantly less than the inward roll of the bodynoted above.

During the rolling movement of the tie structure, the rate of forcetransfer through the tie structure is reduced since it acts over anextended period of time rather than substantially instantaneously. As aconsequence, the jacking effect imposed on the vehicle 50 is reduced.The jacking effect is what tends to raise the inside wheels and roll thevehicle about its outside wheels during cornering. As a result, theeffective roll reaction center of the vehicle is at an elevation belowthe elevation of the pivot axis 64. The roll reaction center is theelevation point through which the lateral forces act to cause thejacking effect.

The combination spring/shock absorbers 70 and 80, and optionally thetorsion bars 68M, may be sized so that the roll stiffness of the tiestructure is higher than the roll stiffness of the body. Thus, theamount by which the tie structure rolls outwardly during cornering issignificantly less than the amount by which the body at the same timetilts inwardly, so that the net effect is to maintain the body in aninwardly tilted orientation relative to the tie structure, even thoughthe tie structure is rolling somewhat in the outward direction, asdescribed above. Also, the body 52 is permitted to move relativelyfurther than the tie structure 60, but the body movement stops relativeto the tie structure before the tie structure movement stops.

Still referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, stop or limit members 140 may beimposed between the arms 118 and 120 and the tie structure 60 to limitthe angular movement of the arms, at least in the direction toward thetie structure. Such stops 140 may be composed of resilient blocksmounted to the underside of the A-arms to press against the adjacentportion of the tie structure when the A-arm pivots about its connectionto the tie structure towards the tie structure. The resilient block maybe configured to impose a progressively higher rate of resistance withincreased deformation of the blocks, thereby providing a rising rate ofresistance materials for blocks exhibiting these characteristics,including natural or synthetic rubber. Of course, numerous other systemscould be utilized to limit the tilt or movement of the A-arms toward(and also away from) the tie structure, as desired.

In addition to, or in lieu of, stops 140 between arms 118 and 120 andthe tie structure 60, stops may also be employed to limit the amount ofroll or pitch of the body relative to the tie structure. In this regard,roll and/or pitch stops 142 may be mounted on the upper end of posts orsimilar structures 144 extending upwardly from the forward and rearwardends of the tie structure. It is believed desirable to incorporate thebody stops 142 so that the roll of the body terminates before the rollof the tie structure terminates during cornering. It is desirable toallow the shifting of the tie structure to occur over a time periodlonger than it takes for the body roll or pitch to be completed, therebyto reduce, to the extent possible, the rate of centrifugal forcetransfer between the body and tie structure, since during this shiftingmovement the full jacking effect caused by the centrifugal force imposedon the vehicle during cornering is not brought to bear on the vehicle.

It will also be appreciated that the present invention advantageouslyhelps keep the body relatively level when a wheel hits a hole ordepression or hits a bump in the road. For example, if a front wheel 56hits a pothole, the corresponding portion of the tie structure lowers.Since the roll center is above the center of gravity, the body willswing up about the roll center at the location that the tie structurelowers. As such, the body tends to stay relatively level, even when thewheel and associated portion of the tie structure drop due to thepothole. It will be appreciated that if the wheel assembly hits a bump,the tie structure will raise and the body will tend to lower relative tothe raised portion of the tie structure, thereby tending to keep thebody relatively level.

Although the interconnections between the ends of the slide system 62and the tie structure 60 are illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2 asaccomplished through the use of forward and rearward arm assemblies 114and 116, the arm assemblies may be replaced with alternative structures.For example, the arms 118 and 120 may extend parallel to each other, inwhich case the transverse shaft 134 of the gimbal 128 may be lengthenedto accommodate this different configuration of the arms.

Although the vehicle 50 has been described and illustrated asaccommodating longitudinal movement between the body 52 and the tiestructure 60, the body may also be adapted to shift sideways relative tothe tie structure. In this regard, the attachment brackets 138 used toattach the body to the slide assembly may be replaced with a transverseslide assembly permitting transverse movement of the body relative tothe tie structure. Such transverse slide assembly can be of manyconstructions, including rods that slide within collars, slides thatslide within a slideway, etc.

Although the vehicle 50 has been described above as employing an engine89 that drives the rear wheels 58, in addition, or as an alternative,electric motors may be incorporated within the wheel assemblies 56and/or 58 to provide motive force to the vehicle. The electric motorsmay be of many constructions, for example as shown and described in U.S.Pat. No. 5,438,228, which is incorporated herein by reference. It is tobe understood that other electric motor configurations may be utilizedwithout departing from the spirit or scope of the present invention.

Body 52 may be detachably mounted to the tie structure 60. In thisregard, fasteners or connectors, such as threaded connectors 146, may beused to secure body structural member 72 to the slide assembly brackets138. Detachably attaching the body to the tie structure results innumerous advantages. For instance, if the body is damaged, it can beeasily removed and replaced. In addition, multiple body configurationscould be utilized with a particular tie structure and chassis. Thus, thevehicle owner can convert the vehicle into different uses or for exampleas a passenger vehicle, enclosed load carrying vehicle, or an open boxload carrying vehicle, perhaps similar to a pickup truck. To accommodatea detachable body, electrical connections can be incorporated betweenthe body and the tie structure that automatically connect the electricallines when the body is mounted on the tie structure and correspondinglyautomatically disconnect the electrical lines when the body is detachedfrom the tie structure. In addition, the steering of the vehicle can beaccomplished through electrical servo motors, linear actuators, etc.,rather than through mechanical linkages. In this manner it will not benecessary to separately connect and disconnect steering linkages thatmay extend between the body and the tie structure, the vehicle frame orthe hub carrier. Also, if servo motors, etc., are used, a conventionalsteering wheel can be replaced with a “steering stick,” perhaps similarto the control stick of aircraft.

Another embodiment of the present invention is illustrated in FIGS. 4and 5. In this embodiment, vehicle 150 was constructed similarly tovehicle 50 of FIGS. 1, 2 and 3, but with the exception of a slide system152. Thus, like parts in FIGS. 3 and 4 are numbered the same as in FIGS.1, 2, and 3, but with the addition of the suffix “A.”

The slide system 152 may be constructed with a cross-shaped slide collarhousing 154 for receiving therein four separate slides 156, 158, 160 and162 extending from the slide housing 154 in the forward, right hand,rearward and left hand directions, respectively, relative to thedirection of the vehicle 150. The outward ends of the slides 156 and 160may be attached to brackets 164 and 166, respectively, extendingupwardly from transverse intermediate crossmembers 112A of the tiestructure 60A. The outward ends of the lateral slides 158 and 162 may beattached to brackets 168 extending downwardly from body structuralmember 72A. A compressible member 170 may be positioned between theinward ends of each of the slides 156, 158, 160 and 162 and a stop 171disposed inwardly of the adjacent end of the slides. The compressionmember 170 may place a nominally outward load on the slides, which loadcan be overcome if a sufficiently high relative force is imposed betweenthe vehicle body 52A and the tie structure 60A. The compressible member170 can be composed of various structures, such as a compression spring,crushable material, etc. Perhaps one advantage of the use of acompression spring as the compressible member is that after relativemovement takes place between the body 52A and the tie structure 60A, thebody can be returned to a nominal position relative to the tiestructure.

It will be appreciated that the body 52A is capable of moving bothlongitudinally and laterally relative to the tie structure 60A, therebyto accommodate loads imposed on the body in both the longitudinal andtransverse directions. Moreover, with the present invention, the body iscapable of tilting relative to the tie structure 604 about longitudinalaxis 64A extending concentrically relative to slides 156 and 160. Also,the body is capable of pitching relative to the tie structure 60A aboutthe transverse axis 172 extending concentrically with the transverseslides 158 and 162.

It will be appreciated that during normal operation of vehicle 150, theslide system may be designed to not come into play. The vehicle body isable to roll about longitudinal axis 64A, and pitch about transverseaxis 172 without the body moving relative to the tie structure 60Athrough the slide system 152. In other words, the roll and pitchstiffness of the body due to springs 70A and 80A is less than lateraland/or longitudinal displacement stiffness of the body due tocompression members 170.

Alternatively, the slide assembly 152 may be designed to function duringthe normal operation of the vehicle. For example, the slide assembly 152may be designed to shift longitudinally or laterally during the normaloperation of the vehicle.

Rather than it being “passive,” the slide system 152 may be powered toactively shift the body 52A relative to the tie structure 60A. In thisregard, compressible member 170 of the slide system 152 may be replacedby fluid, for instance, hydraulic fluid, that may be delivered to andextracted from selected locations in the housing 154 by a fluid pump 173in fluid flow communication with the housing 154 by lines 174A and 174B.A fluid reservoir 175 may be utilized with the fluid pump to store extrafluid as well as the return fluid from the housing 154. Although thefluid pump 173 is illustrated as being in fluid flow communication withthe housing 154 in the fore and aft directions, the fluid pump 173 canalso be used to shift the body 52A in the lateral direction.

It will be appreciated that the slide system 152, as well as other slidesystems of the present invention, might be conveniently andadvantageously incorporated into a pre-existing vehicle. Of course, somemodifications to the vehicle likely would be required so that the slidesystem 152 can be interposed between the existing vehicle body andexisting vehicle chassis/frame. Perhaps it is more likely thatadaptation of a slide system 152 into an existing vehicle might beeasier to accomplish if the vehicle has a body with a separateunderlying frame rather than being of a unibody construction.

Portions of the body 52A may be constructed from crushable material toabsorb some of the energy from an impact force imposed on the vehicle.Such body portions may be designed to be easily removable from thevehicle to facilitate replacement thereof. It will be appreciated thatby a combination of constructing the body 52A with crushable materialand utilizing the slide system 152, described above, the vehicle can bemade to better protect passengers during a crash, and also reduce theoverall damage caused to the vehicle.

FIGS. 6, 7 and 8 disclose a further embodiment of the present inventionwherein a vehicle 176 is shown as having a body structure 178 positionedwithin the perimeter of a tie structure 180. The vehicle is mounted onforward and rearward wheel assemblies 182 and 184. As in the priorembodiments of the present invention, described above, the bodystructure 178 is capable of longitudinal and lateral movement relativeto the tie structure 180 and is also capable of tilting relative to thetie structure about a longitudinal axis 186. Also, as discussed morefully below, the body is capable of pitching about a transverse axis 278relative to the tie structure.

The tie structure 180 shown in FIGS. 5, 6, and 7 may be shaped andconstructed somewhat similarly to the tie structures 60 and 60A notedabove. In this regard, the tie structure may be in the form of arectangular box-type structure that extends longitudinally along thelower elevations of the vehicle 176. The tie structure may be composedof elongated top and bottom side beams 188 and 190 extending along bothsides of the vehicle, and spaced vertically apart by forward andrearward vertical members 192 and 194 as well as intermediate verticalmembers (not shown). The forward ends of the side beams 188 and 190 maybe transversely connected by upper and lower crossmembers 196 and 198.The same types of crossmembers may be utilized at the rear end of thetie structure 180. One or more intermediate crossmembers (not shown) maybe utilized for reinforcing purposes. Such crossmembers may extendthrough the body 178. Additional reinforcing members (also not shown)may be added to the tie structure, as needed. Such reinforcing membersmay also extend through the body. It is to be understood that the tiestructure 180 may be constructed from many appropriate materials, suchas tubing or channel stock. Moreover, the tie structure may beconstructed in other configurations without departing from the spirit orscope of the present invention.

The tie structure 180 may be supported by wheel assemblies 182 and 184through the use of torsion assemblies 200. The inboard ends of thetorsion bar assemblies 200 may be connected to the tie structure 180 ina manner similar to that illustrated and described above in relation toFIGS. 1, 2 and 3. The outboard ends of the torsion bar assemblies 200may be connected to the lower portions of wheels hub assemblies 201through the use of ball joint assemblies in a well-known manner.

The body structure 178 is illustrated in FIGS. 6-8 as being of agenerally tubular or similar construction and positioned partiallywithin the perimeter of the tie structure. The body structure mayinclude a rectangular box-type structure composed of upper and lowerside beams 204 and 206 extending along opposite sides of the body andvertically spaced apart by forward and rearward vertical members 208 and210. Additional vertical members (not shown) may be utilizedintermediate the forward and rearward vertical members. The forward andrearward ends of the longitudinal upper and lower side beams 204 and 206may be transversely connected by upper and lower crossmembers 212 and214.

The body structure 178 can be covered by a body shell (not shown) in themanner of race cars. Ideally, the body shell is easily removable fromthe body structure.

The body structure 178 may be connected to the tie structure 180 throughthe use of an intermediate slide assembly 216 that spans across anintermediate portion of the tie structure at or near the fore and aftcenter of the vehicle. The slide assembly 216 may include a transversecentral bar member 216A having blind bores formed in the ends thereoffor slidably receiving plunger rods 216B therein. A compression springor other resilient device 216C may be interposed between the blind endsof the bores formed in the bar 216A and the adjacent, inward ends of therods 216B, thereby to impose a nominal outward load on the rods. A pivotpin 217 may extend outwardly from the ends of the rods 216B to engagewithin close-fitting through-holes formed in slide plate assemblies 218,which slidably engage with a slideway 220 positioned along the top ofthe tie structure upper side beams 188. The slide plate block 218 mayhave a bottom transverse slide section that closely engages within andis slideable relative to the slideway 220. The slide plate assembliesmay also include upright plate portions that extend upwardly fromtransverse slide section to pass through a narrow slot or entranceformed in the upper section of the slideway 220 (at the upper portion ofside beams 188), to an elevation corresponding to the end portion ofslide assembly 216. It will be appreciated that other alternativeconstructions for slide plate assemblies 218 and slideway 220 may beutilized without departing from the spirit or scope of the presentinvention. Also, the slide plate assembly 218 may be nominallypositioned relative to the length of slideway 220 by any convenientmeans, such as by use of compression or extension springs or shear pins(not shown).

The body structure 178 may be coupled to the immediate slide assembly216 by use of a bracket 224 that extends downwardly from the centralupper portion of the body to be pinned to the intermediate slideassembly by a longitudinal pin 226 that is longitudinally aligned withroll axis 186. This construction allows the body structure 178 to rollrelative to the intermediate slide assembly 216 and tie structure 180about the roll axis 186. The body structure 178 is supported andstabilized relative to the hub assemblies 201 by strut assemblies 232that extend upwardly from the hub assemblies for connection to upperportions of the body by use of standard connection joints, such as balljoints 236.

Turning now to FIGS. 6-8, there is shown one exemplary embodiment of asystem for achieving relative longitudinal movement (lateral movementmay also be provided) between the tie structure 180 and the body 178upon impact loads applied to the tie structure with the distance ofrelative movement proportional, or otherwise related, to the magnitudeof the impact load. This system includes a forward bumper assembly 240mounted against the forward end of the tie structure 180 by mountingbracket 242. The forward bumper assembly 240 may include a plurality oftelescoping, forwardly extending tubular members 244A, 244B, 244C, 244D,etc., disposed within an outer, flexible cover structure 246. Thetelescoping members 244 may be designed to contract or compress when thebumper assembly 246 impacts against another vehicle or other object in acontrolled manner so as to dissipate some of the force of the impact.

The interior of the bumper 246 may be filled with a fluid that can beused to enhance the structural integrity of the bumper assembly. Thefluid within the bumper assembly 240 may also be utilized to shift thebody 178 relative to the tie structure 180 when the bumper assemblyimpacts against another vehicle or other object. To this end, anelongate manifold 248 extends at least partially along the width of thebumper, at the rearward portion thereof. The manifold 248 is in fluidflow communication with the fluid within the bumper assembly 240. Themanifold 248 may be in the form of a tubular member or of otherappropriate construction.

The manifold 248 is in fluid flow communication with fluid actuators 250which are illustrated in FIGS. 6-8 as being in the form of a fluidcylinder. The actuators 250 each includes a cylinder portion 252 influid flow communication with the bumper assembly 240 through a fluidpipe or a line 254. The cylinders 252 are pinned to the upper side beams188 of the tie structure 180 by a pair of parallel, spaced apartmounting ears 256 extending upwardly from the upper surfaces of thebeams 188 to receive the adjacent ends of the cylinders 252therebetween. Close-fitting pins 258 extend through aligned openingsformed in the mounting ears 256 and in the adjacent end of the cylinder252 to pivotally couple cylinders 252 to the mounting ears. A piston rod260 is extendible outwardly of the opposite end of the cylinder 252. Theforward or free end of the rod 260 is pinned to the forward portion ofslide plate 218 for the use of a pivot pin 262.

The vehicle 176 also may include a rear bumper assembly 264 that may beconstructed essentially identically or at least somewhat similarly tothe forward bumper assembly 240. As with the forward bumper assembly240, the rearward bumper assembly 264 may also function as a bladder forfluid used to shift the body structure 178 relative to the tie structure180 during a crash or application of an input load to the tie structure.To this end, the rear bumper assembly 264 may be in fluid flowcommunication with rearward fluid actuators 266, that may be constructedessentially identically or similarly to the forward fluid actuators 250.As such, the details of the construction of the rear bumper assembly 264and rear fluid actuators 266 will not be repeated here.

As an alternative, the fluid actuated system, described above, may bereplaced with a mechanical linkage system (not shown). The mechanicallinkage system can be configured so that if an impact load is applied tothe front and rear bumper assembly 240, 264, the body can be shiftedaway from the location of the impact relative to the bumper.

A seat assembly 268 for the vehicle driver/occupant is located in theforward portion of the body 178. Although the vehicle 176 is illustratedas configured for limited occupancy, for instance for racing, thevehicle may be reconfigured to carry a plurality of passengers. In thisregard, the body 178 may be widened relative to the width of the tiestructure so as to occupy substantially the entire width between theside beams 188 and 190 of the tie structure.

The seat assembly may be mounted on a slide system to move under impactin the manner of the seat assemblies shown in FIG. 13. Also, theassembly 268 may be enclosed in a surrounding cockpit 269, which in turnmay be mounted on a slide assembly (not shown) to protect the driver andallow the cockpit to continue to move in the direction of travel of thevehicle despite the impact force applied to the vehicle.

A propulsion engine 270 is illustrated as disposed within the rearportion of the body 178. The engine 270 may be coupled to a transaxle272 to transmit the engine power to rear wheel assemblies 184 throughdrive axles 274 that extend transversely outwardly from each side of thetransaxle to drivingly engage the rear wheel assemblies 184 in a mannerwell known in the art. Universal joints, constant velocity joints orother connectors may be utilized between the transaxle 272 and the driveaxles 274 as well as between the drive axles and the rear wheelassemblies 182 in a manner well known in the art to accommodate relativemovement between the transaxle and the rear wheel assemblies. Moreover,rather than carrying the weight of the engine 270 in the body 178, theengine can instead be mounted on the tie structure 180.

As a further aspect of the present invention, an air foil/ground effectstructure 276 is mounted on the underportion of the body 178. The airfoil or ground effect structure ideally spans between the wheelassemblies 182 and 184 in the side-to-side direction and beyond thewheel assemblies in the fore and aft direction as illustrated in FIGS.6-8. The ground effect structure may be a singular structural member orcomposed of a plurality of members that cooperatively form the groundeffect structure. Also, the ground effect structure may be oriented(tilted downwardly in the forward direction) relative to the ground tocause a partial vacuum to be created under the vehicle, thereby toimpart a downward load on the vehicle when traveling at a sufficientlyhigh speed. This downward load on the body is transferred to the tiestructure and from there to the forward and rearward wheel assemblies182 and 184.

The ground effect structure 276 may also serve to “close off” the lowerfront portion of the vehicle 176 to also help create a partial vacuumbeneath the vehicle. Also, during use, the pitch of the body may serveto keep the body relatively level with respect to the ground and alsomaintain a constant distance between the underside of the body and theground. Also, the ground effect structure 276 may be constructed to besomewhat adjustable in orientation to alter the amount of downward loadcreated, in a manner well known in the art.

Rather than being carried by the body 178, the ground effect structurecan be connected to the tie structure, so that the downward load createdduring vehicle travel is imposed on the tie structure rather than on thebody. Of course this load is carried through the tie structureconnections with the wheel assemblies. Alternatively, a separate airfoil 277 may be mounted on the upper portions of the tie structure toimpart a downward load thereon. In a known manner, the angle of attackof the air foil may be adjustable so as to vary the downward forcegenerated by the air foil.

In use, if the vehicle 176 hits or is hit by another vehicle or objectat, for instance, the front of the vehicle, the body 178 may shiftrearwardly relative to the tie structure 180, a distance in proportionto the level of impact sustained. In this regard, fluid within theforward bumper assembly 240 may flow out therefrom through lines 254 asthe bumper assembly is deformed and thereby reduced in volume. The fluidflowing from the bumper assembly through lines 254 is routed to linearactuators 250, thereby to extend the piston rods 260 thereof outwardlytherefrom, which in turn pushes the slide plates 218 rearwardly relativeto the tie structure, thereby shifting the body 178 also rearwardly.Flow restrictors may be used in line 254 or in cylinder 252 to controlthe rate of movement of the body relative to the tie structure. Also, atthe same time, the fluid in the rear actuators flows out of theactuators and into the rear bumper assembly or to a separate actuator(not shown). Further, a flow controller can be incorporated into therear actuators or rear fluid lines to control the flow of fluid betweenthe rear actuators and the associated accumulator or rear bumper 264.

Simultaneously, during breaking, the body may pivot about transverseaxis 278 defined by pins 217 due to the braking force being applied tothe body at its center of gravity 280, which is at a level belowtransverse axis 278. As such, a larger downward force is applied to therear springs of the vehicle 176 than in a conventional vehicle(whereupon braking, the pitching of the vehicle imposes a largerdownward force on the front vehicle springs and may substantially unloadthe rear vehicle springs), thereby providing good contact between therear wheel assemblies 184 and the ground to improve the braking abilityof the vehicle.

In addition, the vehicle 176 is capable of tilting in the inwarddirection when cornering to compress the inside springs, while at thesame time the tie structure 180 is capable of swinging slightlyoutwardly when cornering, thereby preventing the longitudinal axis 186of the vehicle from serving as a roll reaction center, i.e., theelevation or point to which the lateral forces act to cause a jackingeffect that tends to raise the inside wheels and roll the vehicle aboutits outside wheels. As a result, as discussed above, the effective rollreaction center of the vehicle is at an elevation below the elevation ofthe pivot axis 186, resulting in a lower rate of force transfer beingimposed on a vehicle during cornering. Thus, the construction of thevehicle 176 can provide the same operating characteristics andadvantages provided by the vehicles 50 and 150 when cornering, asdiscussed above.

The embodiments of the present invention, including that of FIG. 9,provide positive dynamic camber to the vehicle. FIG. 9 shows the tiestructure 180 tilted outwardly relative to the curve (right handdirection) and the body structure 180 tilted inwardly into the curve(left hand direction) to a greater extent than the outward tilt of thetie structure. As a result of such tilting of the tie structure andbody, and the interconnection of the tie structure to the wheelassemblies 182 and 184 and the connection of the strut assemblies 232 tothe body above the roll center 186, the wheels are tilted inwardly intothe curve, providing positive dynamic camber. As will be appreciated,this improves the traction, turning and cornering abilities of thevehicle.

The body structure 178 is also capable of pitching relative to the tiestructure by rotation of the body about transverse pivot axis 278. Inthis regard, the rods 216B may rotate relative to the center bar portion216A. Alternatively, the pivot pins 217 extending outwardly from therods 216B may pivot relative to the slide blocks 218. Since thetransverse pivot axis 278 is located above the center of gravity 236,during braking a longitudinal force is imposed on the springs of thevehicle 174 in a forwardly direction at the elevation of the center ofgravity 234. In the present invention such longitudinal force will tendto cause the body to pivot about transverse axis 278, so that the rearend of the body tends to lower, while the front end of the body tends torise, thereby maintaining significant load on the rearward torsion barassemblies. It will be appreciated that during hard acceleration theopposite effect occurs, thereby maintaining significant loading on thefront wheels of the vehicle.

Also, during hard braking, or perhaps during a crash or impact, the bodystructure 178 is capable of moving longitudinally relative to the tiestructure by the sliding of the slide block plates 228 relative to theslideway 220. Such sliding movement can reduce the effect of a crash onthe body, and in particular on the occupant(s) of the vehicle. This maybe very significant if the vehicle construction shown in FIG. 9 isemployed in a racing vehicle.

Rather than relying solely on compression of the bumper assemblies tocause the body 178 to shift relative to the tie structure, a poweredsystem might be employed. In this regard, one or more hydraulic pumpscan be utilized to force fluid into and out of linear actuators 254 whenit is desired to cause the body 178 to be longitudinally shifted, forinstance when accelerometers or other sensors indicate that a crash ofthe vehicle is occurring or may be imminent. The hydraulic pump can beutilized in conjunction with the bumper assemblies 240 or may beemployed in lieu of such bumper assemblies and the associated fluidlines interconnecting the bumper assemblies to the linear actuators.

FIGS. 10 and 11 disclose a further embodiment of the present inventionwherein vehicle 50C includes a body 52C mounted on a suspension system54C, which in turn is supported by forward wheel assemblies 56C andrearward wheel assemblies 58C. A tie structure 60C is interposed betweenthe vehicle body 52C and the wheel assemblies 56C and 58C. The tiestructure 60C extends longitudinally along a lower elevation of thevehicle 50C and is interconnected to the body through a plurality ofpivoting arm assemblies 302 to enable the body to roll and pitchrelative to the tie structure 60C.

As shown in FIGS. 10 and 11, the tie structure may be of generallyrectangular construction having forward and rearward panel sections 284and 286 interconnected by longitudinal side panel sections 288. The tiestructure 60C may be constructed by tubular components, plates or otherappropriate structural members and materials. The tie structure may beconnected to hub carriers 76C of the forward and rearward wheelassemblies 56C and 58C in a manner described above with respect to FIGS.1, 2, and 3. As such, the construction and operation of the pivot armassembly 68C will not be repeated here. Also, an anti-roll bar 289 orother device can be used between the pivot arm assemblies and the tiestructure of simply between the pivot arms themselves. Such anti-rollbar 289 is shown at the rear of the vehicle. A similar anti-roll bar canbe used on the front of the vehicle. Such anti-roll bar includes acentral length 289A that is mounted to the rear of the tie structure 60Cand end arms 289B that extended rearwardly and outwardly from thecentral section to be attached to corresponding hub assemblies of rearwheel assemblies 58C.

The body 52C may be supported from the wheel hub assemblies by forwardspring/shock absorber assemblies 70C and rearward spring/shock absorberassemblies 80C in a manner similar to that shown in FIGS. 1 and 2. Theupper ends of the spring/shock absorber assemblies are connected to astructural member(s) 72C of the body. It will be appreciated that ratherthan being constructed as a solid unit, the structural member 72C may beof tubular or other type of construction, thereby to minimize its weightwhile still providing sufficient structural integrity to carry the loadsimposed thereon, not only by the static weight of the vehicle 50C, butalso to carry the dynamic loads imposed on the vehicle during travel,including during cornering, as well as during acceleration and braking.

As shown in FIG. 10, the suspension system 54C may utilize forward andrearward steering assemblies 290 and/or 292 to steer the forward andrearward wheels. The forward and rearward steering assemblies may be ofsimilar construction, and thus, only the construction of the forwardsteering assembly will be described with the understanding that the rearsteering assembly is of similar construction and operation. The forwardsteering assembly 290 may include a rack and pinion subassembly 294. Theouter ends of the rack 296 are connected to the adjacent hub carrier 76Cby steering links 298 in a manner well known in the art. The rack andpinion subassembly 294 is mounted on the forward portion of the tiestructure 60C by a pair of forward-extending mounting brackets 300.

It is to be understood that other systems may be used to steer vehicle50C or the other vehicles of the present invention. For example,steering can be carried out by connecting the steering componentselectrically rather than using a rack and pinion. In this regard, ratherthan being connected to a vehicle steering wheel by a mechanical linkagearrangement, a linear actuator may be used to power the rack 296.Moreover, electrical linear actuator may be used to power the steeringarms, thereby eliminating the need for a rack.

Referring also to FIG. 13, the body 52C may be mounted to the tiestructure 60C by four arm assemblies 302, located at each of the fourcorner portions of the tie structure 60C. Each of the arm assemblies 302may include a generally triangularly shaped arm structure 304 coupled tothe tie structure by a pivot shaft 306 that closely engages through theinterior of a tubular base member 307 to engage aligned clearance holesprovided in mounting ears 308 fixed to the tie structure. The pivotshaft 306 defines a pivot axis 309 about which the arm structure 304 isable to pivot relative to the tie structure. The arm structure 304 alsoincludes a pair of arms 310 that extend from the ends of the base 307towards the apex of the arm structure. The distal apex ends of the arms310 intersect a tubular collar 312 oriented substantiallyperpendicularly to cylindrical base member 307 but in planar alignmentwith the base member so that the central axis of collar 312 is in thesame plane as the central axis of base member 307. The collar 312 may besized to receive a close-fitting cylindrical bushing 314 having aplurality of diametric cross-holes 316 formed along the bushing andspaced apart to correspond with the spacing of corresponding diametriccross-holes 318, provided in collar 312. Crossbolts 319 extend throughthe bushing cross-holes 316 and through corresponding collar cross-holes318 to retain the bushing 314 in engagement with collar 312 at a desiredrelative position therebetween. It will be appreciated that theeffective length of the arm structures 304 may be varied depending onwhich of the cross-holes 316 are in alignment with the cross-holes 318.It will also be understood that the extent of relative engagementbetween bushing 314 and collar 312 may be controlled by otherstructures. For instance, the bushing 314 can be formed with externalthreads (not shown) to mate with internal threads (not shown) formed incollar 312.

One purpose of being able to adjust the effective lengths of the armassemblies is to change the elevation or other locations on which thearm assemblies can be mounted on the tie structure 60C, which changesthe nominal angular orientation of the arms and thus the amount that thebody is allowed to roll and pitch relative to the tie structure.

Also, the nominal length of the forward arm assemblies can be changedrelative to the rear arm assemblies to move the location of the pitchcenter of the vehicle fore and aft, as desired. This will affect therelative loading on front and rear wheel assemblies during braking andacceleration.

The arm assembly 302 also includes an end connection knuckle 320, havinga stub shaft portion 322 sized to closely and rotatably engage within aradial bearing or bushing 324 disposed within the adjacent end ofbushing 314. The stub shaft is allowed to rotate relative to the bushing324, but not move longitudinally relative to the bushing, being heldcaptive by a snap ring or other well-known means (not shown). Theconnection knuckle 320 also includes a collar section 326, disposedtransversely to stub shaft 322 and having an aperture therein forreceiving a crosspin 328 that engages through close-fitting openingsformed in mounting ears 330 fixed to the body structural assembly 72C.An elastomeric bushing 331 may be interposed between the crosspin 328and the mounting bar ears 330 to provide some insulation therebetween.Similar bushings can be used between pivot shaft 306 and mounting ears308 or at other joint locations of the arm assembly 302.

As shown in FIG. 10, the two forward arm assemblies 302 are oriented ina rearward and inward direction relative to the vehicle 50C, andlikewise, the two rearward arm assemblies 302 are oriented in theforward and inward direction. The forward arm assemblies 302 areoriented such that the central axis 329 extending through collar 312 andthe apex of the arm assemblies (and perpendicular to pivot shafts 306and shafts 328) will intersect substantially at the longitudinalcenterline 332 of the body 52C and tie structure 60C. The rear armassemblies 302 are positioned in a similar orientation.

It is to be understood that the arm assemblies can be positioned atangles other than as shown in plan view on FIG. 10, thereby to changethe location of the pitch center and/or roll center of the vehicle. Forexample, the arm assemblies can be positioned so that their central axesall intersect at a common point along the longitudinal center line 332.

The body 52C may be supported relative to the forward and rearward wheelassemblies 56C and 58C by forward spring/shock absorber assemblies 70Cand rearward spring/shock absorbers 80C in a manner similar to thatshown in FIGS. 1 and 2. As such, the structure and operation of theforward and rearward spring/shock absorber assemblies will not berepeated here.

Also, the vehicle 50C may be driven by an engine 88C through atransmission 90C and drive shaft 92C in a manner similar to that shownin FIGS. 1 and 2. Accordingly, the construction and operation of thesecomponents will also not be repeated here.

Rather than being carried by the tie structure 60C, the engine 80C andtransmission 90C may be carried instead by the body 72C withoutdeparting from the spirit or scope of the present invention. In certainsituations, mounting the engine and transmission on the body rather thanon the tie structure might be advantageous to the construction andperformance of the vehicle. For example, it may be easier to obtainaccess to the engine and transmission if located on the body rather thanon the tie structure. Also, by locating the engine and drive train onthe body, a larger portion of the weight of the vehicle rolls about theroll center and pitches about the pitch center during operation of thevehicle. This configuration can result in larger dynamic loading on thevehicle tires.

In operation, as vehicle 50C rounds the corner, the body 52C is capableof tilting relative to the tie structure 60C about a longitudinal axis332 defined by the intersection of the forward and rearward armassemblies due to the ability of the arm assemblies to pivot relative tothe tie structure and the body in the up and down directions only, aswell as the connector knuckle of the arm assembly to rotate about collar312 along axis 329. Moreover, the elevation of the longitudinal axis 332corresponds to the elevation in which the axes 329 of the A-armstructures 304 intersect each other, which elevation is above the centerof gravity 329A of the vehicle. Accordingly, when the vehicle 50C roundsthe corner, the body 52C will pivot about longitudinal axis 332 in thedirection inwardly of the curve (towards the center of curvature of thecurve), in a manner similar to the embodiment of the present inventiondescribed above. Also, as will be appreciated, the arm assemblies 302enable the body 52C to pitch relative to the tie structure 60C duringbraking or accelerating in the manner of previous embodiments of thepresent invention described above.

In addition, when vehicle 50C is cornering, the tie structure 60C iscapable of swinging slightly outwardly due to the pivoting of the pivotarm assemblies 68C, thereby reducing the rate of force transfer of thecentrifugal force through the tie structure, thereby delaying the timethat the jacking effect fully acts on the body. As a result, asdescribed above, the effective roll reaction center of the vehicle 50Cis at an elevation below the elevation of longitudinal axis 332,resulting in a lower jacking effect being imposed on the vehicle duringcornering. Thus, the construction of vehicle 50C can provide the sameadvantages when cornering as provided by the vehicles described above,including vehicles 50 and 150.

In addition, it can be appreciated that through the present invention,the arm assemblies 302 can independently move relative to each other.Thus, for example, during cornering, the arm assemblies located on theinside of the vehicle may move to a less steep or lower angle ofinclination due to the inward tilting of the body and outward tilting ofthe tie structure relative to the inclination of the arm assemblies atthe outside of the vehicle. Also, the arm assemblies on the inside ofthe vehicle drop down farther than the outside arms rise up.

It will be appreciated that if the arm assemblies are nominally adjustedto have a lower angle of inclination, more body movement will beachieved per movement of the arms.

It will be appreciated that the arm assemblies 302 may be replaced withother structures, for example, a linear actuator. Such linear actuatorcan be extended and retracted in a manner similar to extending andretracting the arm assemblies 302, as discussed above. Also, the armassemblies 302 themselves can be modified so that their lengths can beautomatically adjusted, for example, by the use of hydraulic or electricactuators to move the knuckle connector relative to the A-arm structure.

FIG. 13 illustrates a further embodiment of the present invention,wherein a vehicle 50D is designed to allow a body 52D to slidelongitudinally relative to the tie structure 180A upon an impact forceapplied to the vehicle in a direction away from the impact force, forinstance, during a collision. In addition, the passenger seats 333A and333B are designed to slide upon an impact load applied to the vehicle.The tie structure 180A is illustrated as of generally rectangularconstruction similar to the construction of the tie structure 180 shownin FIGS. 6, 7 and 8. As such, the construction of tie structure 180Awill not be repeated here.

The vehicle 50D may include a forward bumper assembly 334 that is shapedsimilarly to bumper assembly 240 shown in FIGS. 6-8. In this regard, thebumper assembly 334 may be constructed similarly to bumper assembly 240except that upon impact, the fluid in the bumper assembly may simply beexpelled into the ambient air rather than utilized to move the body 52Drelative to the tie structure 180A. Likewise, vehicle 50D may include arear bumper assembly 335 that is constructed and shaped similarly to therear bumper assembly 264 shown in FIGS. 6-8. The rear bumper assembly335 can also be designed to expel the fluid therein into the ambient airrather than being utilized to shift the body 52D relative to the tiestructure 180A.

It is to be understood that the forward and rearward bumper assemblies332 and 334 also can be of other constructions. For instance, thesebumper assemblies can be composed of crushable or collapsible materialor structures to absorb at least some of the energy from collisions orother impact loads imposed on the vehicle. Also, collapsible material337 may be mounted on body 52D to absorb energy in case of a crash. InFIG. 13, such material is shown at the front and back of the body 52D.

In a manner similar to that shown in FIGS. 6-8, the tie structure 180Ais supported by forward and rearward wheel assemblies 182A and 184A withthe use of lower control arm assemblies 200A that may be pinned to amounting bracket 202A carried by the upper side beams 188A of the tiestructure. The lower ends of the control arms 200A are coupled to thewheel assemblies 182A and 184A in the same manner as in FIGS. 6-8. Suchcoupling can be accomplished to enable the forward wheel assemblies 182Ato be steerable, in a conventional manner.

Forward and rearward slide assemblies 336 are imposed between the tiestructure 180A and the body 52D. The slide assemblies 336 may be of manydifferent constructions, including composed of a slideway 338 mounted onthe upper side of tie structure top side beams 188A to slidably receivea slide 340 secured to the underside of body 52D. The slide assemblies336 may be designed to require a baseline impact load to be imposed onthe vehicle 50D before permitting the body to slide relative to the tiestructure. This can be accomplished in many well-known manners. Forexample, as a result of the threshold impact load that is imposed on thebumper assemblies 334 or 335, the body 52D can be permitted to continueto move somewhat in its same direction of travel rather than coming toan abrupt halt or before beginning to move away from the impact. If theimpact load is applied to the body, the body can slide relative to thetie structure in the direction away from the impact force. As such, theforces imposed on the vehicle passengers is significantly less than in aconventional vehicle.

It will be appreciated that the slide assemblies 336 may be constructedto allow the body 52D to also move laterally relative the tie structure180A, for example during a crash or collision. The slide assemblies caninclude a transverse slideway (not shown) mounted to the body that wouldallow lateral movement of such slideways relative to slide 340.

In addition to, or in lieu of, the slide assemblies 336, further slideassemblies 342 may be utilized between passenger seats 333A, 333B andbody 52D. The slide assemblies 342 can be of many known constructions.For example, a slideway assembly 344 may be mounted on the lower floorof the vehicle body and a slide assembly 345 attached to the lowerbottom side of the passenger seats 333A and 333B. As with slideassemblies 336, the slide assemblies 342 can be designed to require athreshold impact load to be imposed on the vehicle before the passengerseats 333A and 333B are permitted to move relative to the body 52D. Asnoted above, this can be accomplished in many different ways to providethe same advantage provided by slide assembly 336, i.e., to permit thevehicle passengers to continue to move to a certain degree along theirsame path of travel toward an impact load when the impact load isapplied to the vehicle tie structure. In addition, the slide assemblies342 will enable the passengers to continue to move in their direction oftravel if instead of an impact load being applied to the tie structure,such impact load is applied to the body 52D, thereby lessening theimpact force imposed on the passengers. This could reduce the injuriescaused to the vehicle passengers during a collision or other accident.

It will be appreciated that, rather than mounting the seats 333A and333B on slide assembly 342, the seats might instead be mounted on afour-bar linkage arrangement or other type of structure to enable theseats to swing relative to the body during a crash or other significantimpact load imposed on the vehicle. It will be appreciated that toaccomplish such swinging movement, parallel swing arms may extendupwardly from the vehicle floor or downwardly from the vehicle roof, orlaterally from the vehicle panels or structures, to support the seatsduring normal use and also to permit swinging movement of the seatsduring a crash.

As a further alternative, seats 333A and 333B may be pivotally mountedto the overhead portion of the body 52D. In this regard, a bracket mayextend between the rear upper portion of the seats 333A and 333B and theoverhead portion of the body 52D.

It is appreciated that the body 52D, shown in FIG. 13, is shownschematically. The body 52D can be of various other shapes withoutdeparting from the spirit or scope of the present invention. In thisregard, the body 52D might be shaped generally in the manner of the body52, shown in FIGS. 1 and 2. Moreover, the body 52D may be constructed tobe easily removable from the tie structure 180A. In this regard,quick-release connectors can be utilized to connect the body 52D to thetie structure at the slide 340.

It will be appreciated that for the body 52D to move or slide relativeto the tie structure, the body may require more structural integritythan in the typical automobile currently being manufactured. As such, itmay not be necessary to design the body with crushable panels at theends or sides thereof, although such crushable panels are an option.

FIGS. 14, 15 and 16 schematically illustrate a further embodiment of thepresent invention, wherein a vehicle 960 includes a body 962 mounted onan underlying tie structure 964, which is supported by wheel assemblies966. The tie structure may extend substantially the length of the body962 or may be composed of a forward section at the forward end of thevehicle and a separate rearward section at the rearward end of thevehicle. The body is capable of rolling relative to the tie structure,which preferably extends longitudinally of the vehicle and transverselyacross the vehicle at a lower elevation thereof. A lower control armassembly 968 extends outwardly from a corner of the tie structure to theunderside of hub assemblies 970 of the wheel assemblies 966.

FIGS. 14, 15 and 16 illustrate the forward end portion of the vehicle960. The rearward end portion of vehicle 960 may be constructedsimilarly thereto. The control arm assembly 968 may be torsionallyloaded relative to the tie structure 964 in a manner that is well knownin the art, for instance as described above and illustrated in FIG. 3.

Swing arm assemblies 972 extend upwardly from corner locations of thetie structure 964 to pivotally couple to the adjoining portion of body962. The swing arm assemblies 972 consist of longitudinally separatedarms 972A and 972B interconnected by a pair of parallel rods or tubes972C. The upper end portions of the arms 972A and 972B are pinned to thelower portion of the body 962, with the lower end portions of the armspinned to side sections of the tie structure 964. As shown in FIG. 14,the swing arm assemblies 972 are sloped towards each other in the upwarddirection so that lines extending therefrom intersect at the roll center978 of the vehicle. The swing arm assemblies 972 allow the body 962 toroll relative to the tie structure 964 while restricting relativelongitudinal movement between the body and the tie structure. By thisconstruction, the tie structures 964 and swing arm assemblies 972 can beincorporated into existing vehicles or designed into new vehicleswithout a radical change in design from existing vehicles.

Continuing to refer to FIGS. 14, 15 and 16, the vehicle 960 includes apropulsion engine/motor 974 that is carried by the tie structure 964. Adrive train 975 may be interconnected between the motor/engine 974 andthe wheel assemblies 966 in a manner well known in the art. Also, themotor/engine may be located near the forward end of the vehicle, nearthe rearward end of the vehicle, or at a location therebetween. The body962 may be supported by strut assemblies 976 extending upwardly from hubassemblies 970 for connection to an upper portion of the body 962. Thestrut assemblies may be designed so that the roll stiffness of the body962 is not as stiff as the roll stiffness of the tie structure.

With respect to the operation of the vehicle 960, applicant notes thatthe roll center 978 of the vehicle 981 is at a location defined by theintersection of lines extending longitudinally from swing armsassemblies 972, which is at an elevation substantially above the centerof gravity 980 of the vehicle. As such, when the vehicle 960 rounds acorner, a centrifugal force is applied thereto at the center of gravity980, which is at an elevation below the roll center 978. As such, thebody 962 tilts inwardly toward the center curvature of the curve aboutthe roll axis 978. When this occurs, the tie structure simultaneouslytilts, to some extent, away from the center of curvature, which tends tocause the roll center 978 to shift outwardly somewhat relative to thecenter of a curve being negotiated, but not far enough to negate theinward tilting motion of the body 962. The advantage of the tiestructure moving outwardly slightly during cornering is that during suchmovement, the roll center 978 does not serve as a roll center aboutwhich centrifugal forces act to tip the vehicle outwardly so that therate of centrifugal force transfer through the vehicle is reduced. Itwill be appreciated that the relative outward tilt of the tie structurein relationship to the inward tilt of the body can be altered bycontrolling the various components of the vehicle suspension system,including the torsion load at the inward ends of the trailing links 968and the load-carrying capacity and stiffness of the strut assemblies972.

Vehicle 960 also provides the advantage of positive dynamic camber whencornering. In this regard, as shown in FIG. 14, the body 962 is tiltedupwardly at the side thereof toward the outside of the curve while thetie structure is tilted somewhat downwardly relative to the outside ofthe curve, with the tilt of the tie structure being less than the tiltof the body due to the relative greater stiffness of the torsion load onarm assemblies 968 vis-à-vis the strut assemblies 976. The upward tiltof the body will tend to move the upper portion of the inside wheelinwardly into the curve as well as move the upper portion of the outsidewheel inwardly relative to the curve. As a result, both the wheels ofthe vehicle tend to tilt inwardly relative to the curve providingpositive dynamic camber, thereby improving the traction of the vehicleduring cornering.

It will also be appreciated that by mounting the motor/engine 974 andcorresponding drive train components on the tie structure, less plungeis required for the drive line interconnecting the motor/engine to thedrive wheels, in relationship to the plunge required if the motor/enginewere mounted on the body. As noted above, vehicle 960 is designed sothat the tie structure 964 tilts outwardly to a lesser degree incornering than does the body 962 tilt inwardly during cornering.Further, by mounting the motor/engine solely on the tie structure, itwould be easier to adapt the present invention to existing vehicles.

FIG. 17 diagrammatically illustrates a further embodiment of the presentinvention wherein a vehicle 981 includes a body 982, mounted on anunderlying tie structure 983, which is supported by wheel assemblies984. As in the embodiment shown in FIGS. 14, 15 and 16, the tiestructure 983 may extend substantially the entire length of the body982, or may be composed of a forward section at the forward end of thevehicle and a rearward section at the rear end of the vehicle. As alsoin the vehicle 960 shown in FIGS. 14, 15 and 16, in the vehicle 981, thebody 982 is capable of rolling relative to the tie structure.

Control arm assemblies 985 extend outwardly from the sides of the tiestructure to the underside of hub assemblies 986 of wheel assemblies984. The control arm assemblies 985 may be torsionally loaded relativeto the tie structure 983 in a manner as described above.

Swing arm assemblies 987 extend upwardly from tie structure 983 topivotally couple through the adjacent portions of body 982. The swingarm assemblies 987, as illustrated, may consist of A-arm assembliessimilar to those shown in FIGS. 10, 11 and 12. In this regard, the swingarm assemblies 987 may be positioned to extend upwardly towards thelongitudinal center of the body 982 and also the forward swing armassemblies may extend towards the rear of the vehicle 981, whereas therear swing arm assemblies may be oriented to slope forwardly towards theforward end of the vehicle 981. In this manner, the swing arm assemblies987 may allow the body 982 to roll relative to the tie structure 983 andalso permit the body to pitch relative to the tie structure in a mannersomewhat similar to the vehicle 500 shown in FIGS. 10 and 11.

As in vehicle 960 shown in FIGS. 14, 15 and 16, the vehicle 981 may beconstructed so that the stiffness of the control arm assemblies 985 isgreater than the stiffness of the strut assemblies 988 used to supportthe body relative to the wheel assemblies 984. In this manner, when thevehicle is rounding a corner, the centrifugal force is applied theretoat the center of gravity 989, which is at an elevation below the rollcenter 989A of the vehicle, causing the body to tilt inwardly toward thecenter of the curve. When this occurs, the tie structure simultaneouslytilts, to some extent, away from the center of the curve, therebytending to cause the roll center 989A to shift outwardly somewhatrelative to the center of the curve, but not far enough to negate theinward tilting motion of the body 982. As in other embodiments of thepresent invention, advantageously the slightly outward movement of thetie structure during cornering prevents the roll center 989A fromserving as a roll center about which centrifugal forces act to tip thevehicle outwardly, so that the rate of centrifugal force transferthrough the vehicle is reduced. This same advantage applies duringvehicle pitching.

Moreover, vehicle 981 also provides the advantage of positive dynamiccamber when cornering. In this regard, the vehicle 981 operates in amanner very similar to vehicle 960, described above, and thus suchdescription will not be repeated here.

As a further matter, in vehicle 981, the motor/engine 989B and thecorresponding drive train components 989C may be mounted on the tiestructure 983 rather than being carried by the body or other parts ofthe vehicle. As a consequence, the drive train is required toaccommodate less relative movement between the engine and the drivewheels than would be required if the motor/engine were mounted on thebody.

FIG. 18 illustrates another embodiment of the present invention whereina vehicle 1300 includes a body 1302 supported above an underlying tiestructure 1304 by pairs of diagonal control sliders 1306. The tiestructure 1304 may be in the form of a solid axle extending transverselybetween wheel assemblies 1308. Also the lower end of the control sliders1306 may be mounted below the tie structure/axle 1304 by use of brackets1310 thereby to lower the pitch center and/or roll center 1312 as low aspossible. As in other embodiments of the present invention, the pitchcenter and/or roll center is defined by the intersection of linesconstituting extensions of the control sliders 1306.

The control sliders 1306 are illustrated in FIG. 19 as constituting anadjustable hydraulic or fluid spring-loaded actuator assembly having acylinder portion 1314 housing a piston 1316 which is connected to apiston rod 1318 which extends outwardly from the cylinder. A relativelystiff spring 1320 or other type of resilient means loads the piston 1306against stop 1322 thereby dividing the cylinder 1314 into first andsecond chambers 1324 and 1326. The chambers 1324 and 1326 may be filledwith a fluid that passes from one side of piston 1316 through passages1327 that limit the speed that the piston may move relative to thecylinder 1314, for instance if one control slider 1306 is unloaded dueto its corresponding wheel 1308 hitting a pothole and at the same timethe body rolling or pitching. Controlling the rate that the piston 1316can move within cylinder 1314 will make sure that there will beresistance to such rolling or pitching action.

It will be appreciated that the control sliders 1307 and similarcomponents described herein may be of other constructions. For example,the control sliders may be constructed with a fluid that can be changedin viscosity as desired very quickly if not almost instantaneously, soas to change the operational characteristics of the control sliders,struts or other similar components of the present invention. One exampleof such fluid construction includes magnetic properties that can bechanged or controlled electrically or electronically.

Optionally, linear controllers 1328 may extend between the tie structureand the body to control the tilt and/or pitch of the body. Thecontrollers have a spring rate that is “softer” than the control sliders1306 to allow the tie structure to react to road bumps withouttransferring all of the “bumps” to the body. However, the function ofthe linear controllers 1328 may be carried out by the control sliders1306. In this regard, the control sliders can be of variable springrates, perhaps having a softer spring rate when accommodating roaddiscontinuities but having a much stiffer spring rate when the bodyrolls during cornering or pitches during acceleration or hard braking.Sensors can be utilized on the vehicle to sense road bumps as well asthe body roll during cornering and body pitching during braking andacceleration. In response thereto, the characteristics of the controlslider 1306 are automatically adjusted so as to react to the particularexternal force being applied to the vehicle, whether road bumps orcorner rolling or pitching due to braking or accelerating. It will beappreciated that by this construction a tie structure such as describedabove with respect to other embodiments of the present invention, forinstance shown in FIG. 17, may not actually be required, therebysimplifying the construction of vehicles made in accordance with thepresent invention.

FIGS. 20, 21, 22 and 23 illustrate a further embodiment of the presentinvention, wherein vehicle 346 includes a body 348 mounted on anunderlying tie structure 350 supported by wheel assemblies 352. The tiestructure 350 includes a lower hollow transverse crossmember 354 havinga torsion bar 356 extending therethrough. The outer ends of the torsionbar extend beyond crossmember 354 to rigidly couple to the rearward endsof forward leading arm assemblies 358. The opposite ends of the leadingarm assemblies are pivotally coupled to the lower portions of hubassemblies 360 of a wheel assembly 352. The torsion bar 356 allows forcontrolled relative vertical movement between the tie structure 350 andthe wheel assemblies 352, for instance when traveling over a bump orcornering.

The tie structure 350 is connected to the body 348 by a pair of lowerswing arm assemblies 362. The swing arm assemblies may be of numerous,different constructions. For example, in FIGS. 20 and 21 the swing armassemblies 362 are in the form of A-arms having their lower ends coupledto the tie structure crossmember 354 by a pivot pin 364 that is carriedby pivot block 366 attached to the tie structure crossmember 354. Theupper, opposite ends of the swing arms 362 are pinned to lower portionsof a body structural member 368. It will be appreciated that the swingarms 362 keep the body 348 from moving longitudinally relative to thetie structure 350 while allowing the body to move laterally as well aspivot about a longitudinal axis relative to the tie structure 350. Also,the swing arm assemblies are oriented so that they are in alignment withthe roll center 367 of the vehicle, which is at an elevation above thecenter of gravity 384 of the vehicle.

The tie structure 350 further includes upright posts 370 extendingupwardly from the tie structure crossmember 354. The lower ends of theposts can be attached to the crossmember 354 by bolts 357 to enable theposts to pivot in the lateral direction above the bolts. The upper endsof the posts 370 are coupled to a central location on the bodystructural member 368 by a pair of link arms 372A and 372B. The outerends of the link arms 372A and 372B are pinned to the posts 370 atselective locations along the height of the posts, with the particularlocation of such pin connection selected for adjusting the camberimposed on the vehicle 346. The center, inward ends of the link arms372A and 372B are jointly pinned to the body structural member 368 topivot about a longitudinal axis 374 of the vehicle. As an alternative,the link arms 372A and 372B may be shortened to be pinned to the bodystructure member 368 at laterally spaced apart locations (not shown).

The upper end portions of the posts 370 are supported by upper leadingarms 376. The inward ends of the leading arms 376 are pinned torespective posts 370 by cross pins 378 extending through a transverseopening formed in the posts and through aligned openings of a yokeformed in the trailing arm 376. The outer, forward ends of the upperleading arms 376 are connected to wheel hub assemblies 360 by balljoints 380 in a well-known manner. It will be appreciated that fromtheir connection to posts 370, the upper leading arms 376 extendlaterally outwardly, forwardly and downwardly to their connection withcorresponding hub assemblies 360.

The body 348 is also supported relative to the tie structure 350 byspring/shock absorber assemblies 382. The lower ends of the spring/shockabsorber assemblies are connected to lower leading arms 358 by balljoints 383 in a conventional manner, and correspondingly the upper endsof the spring/shock absorber assemblies are connected to the bodystructural member 368 also by ball joints 385 in a conventional manner.

In operation, when vehicle 346 rounds a corner, a centrifugal force isapplied thereto at the center of gravity 384 which is at an elevationbelow the elevation of the roll center 367. As such, the body 348 willtilt inwardly toward the center of curvature of the curve about axis 374and compress the inside spring/shock absorber assemblies. When thisoccurs, the tie structure simultaneously tilts, to some extent, awayfrom the center of curvature, which tends to cause the longitudinal axis374 to shift outwardly of the center of curvature somewhat, but not farenough to negate the inward tilting of the body 348. The advantage ofthe tie structure moving outwardly slightly during cornering is thatduring such movement the rate of force transfer through the vehicle isless than if the tie structure did not tilt. During such tie structuremovement, the longitudinal axis 374 does not serve as the roll reactioncenter about which the forces would be acting to tip the vehicleoutwardly. It will be appreciated that the relative outward tilt of thetie structure in relation to the inward tilt of the body can be alteredby controlling the stiffness of the various components of the vehicle'ssuspension system, including the torsion bar 356 and the spring/shockabsorber assemblies 382.

FIGS. 24, 25 and 26 diagrammatically disclose a further embodiment ofthe present invention wherein a vehicle 390 includes body 392 mountedon/carried by a tie structure 394, which in turn is carried by wheelassemblies 396. The tie structure includes a transverse crossmembersubassembly 400 composed in part of a cross tube 402. The inward baseportion 404 of a lower A-arm assembly 410 engages within each endportion of the cross tube 402. The base portion 404 is biased in thedirection towards the adjacent outward end of the cross tube 402 by acompression spring 406. The inward end of the compression spring pressesagainst a piston 408 which is loaded toward the outer end of the crosstube 402 by any convenient means, for example by hydraulic pressure,linear actuator, etc. The opposite, outward end of the A-arm assembly410 is coupled to a lower portion of wheel hub assembly 414 through theuse of a ball joint 416.

The body 392 is connected to the underlying tie structure 394 bydiagonally oriented link arms 418 that are pinned at their lower ends tooutward end portions of the cross tube 402. The upper, inward portionsof the link arms are pinned to lower portions of body structural member420. The link arms 418 are oriented so that if extended in the inwardlydirection they would intersect at point 422 along the transverse centerline of the vehicle 390 corresponding to the roll center of the body.The body 392 is also supported by upper arm assemblies 424 having theirlower ends carried by hub assemblies 414 and their upper ends coupled tothe body structural member 420 by ball joints 426. Body springs 427 areconnected between hub assembly 414 and body 392.

The hub assemblies 414 may be steered by steering arms 428 that arecoupled to the hub assemblies. The upper ends of the steering arms 428extend rearwardly from the hub assemblies and are connected to the outerends of a rod 432 extending outwardly from a center steering assembly434 mounted at the upper portion of body structural member 420.

It will be appreciated that the vehicle 390, when negotiated around acorner, responds quite similarly to vehicle 348 shown in FIGS. 20-23. Inthis regard, when rounding a corner a centrifugal force is laterallyapplied to the vehicle 390 at the center of gravity 436 which is at anelevation below intersection point 422 of the diagonal links 418,causing the body to tilt about such intersection point inwardly towardthe center of the curve to compress the inside springs. Correspondingly,the centrifugal force on the tie structure 394 tends to cause the tiestructure to tilt somewhat in the outwardly direction relative to thecenter of the curve, which in turn tends to cause the crossmembersubassembly 400 to tilt outwardly relative to the curve. During suchmovement of the tie structure, the intersection point 422 does not serveas a roll reaction center. The rate of centrifugal force transferthrough the vehicle 390 is reduced relative to if the tie structure werenot capable of such movement.

As a further matter, it will be appreciated that the nominal location ofthe lower A-arms 410 can be varied relative to cross tube 402, therebyto alter the ride height of the vehicle. Also, the nominal location ofthe lower A-arms 410 relative to the cross tube 402 can be used to varythe relative loads carried by the cross tube and the body springs 427.

The embodiments of the present invention shown in FIGS. 24, 25 and 26may be modified to provide an “active” suspension system. In thisregard, the cross tube 402 and compression spring 406 may be replacedwith a linear actuator, for example a hydraulic cylinder assembly (notshown) mounted transversely on tie structure 394. Also, body springs 427may be replaced with hydraulically actuated suspension cylinderspositioned at locations corresponding to the body springs 427. Suchsuspension cylinders may be controllable to increase or decrease theirlengths, thereby to tilt the body 392 as desired, for instance whencornering. A control system (not shown) may be provided for sensing thedirection, speed and acceleration of the vehicle 390 in controlling theroll of the vehicle as well as the lateral movement of the tie structure394 in response to driving conditions, including cornering. Forinstance, when cornering, the hydraulic cylinders that replace bodysprings 427, can be controlled to tilt the body inwardly into the curverather than outwardly in the manner of a typical vehicle. Moreover, alsowhen cornering, the linear actuators that replace the springs 402 may beactivated to allow the tie structure to move somewhat laterallyoutwardly to prevent, at least initially, the roll center 422 of thevehicle from being the point through which the roll couple is generated,tending to tilt the vehicle about its outer wheels 396.

FIG. 27 schematically discloses a further embodiment of the presentinvention, wherein a vehicle 650 includes the body portion 652 supportedon an underlying tie structure 654 extending across the vehicle betweenwheel assemblies 656. The tie structure 654 may be of variousconstructions, including those constructions described herein. The tiestructure 654 is interconnected to body 654 by diagonally oriented linkarms 658 that are pinned at the lower ends to a tie structure 654 andpinned at their upward, inward ends to the body 652. The link arms 658are oriented so that if extended in the inward direction they wouldintersect each other at a point 660 along the transverse centerline ofthe vehicle 650 corresponding to the roll center of the vehicle, whichis located above the center of gravity of vehicle 662.

The tie structure 654 is interconnected to the wheel assemblies 656 bylower control arms, also referred to as trailing arms 664, which arepinned at their outward ends to wheel hub assembly 666 and also pinnedat their inward ends to lateral portions of the tie structure. Thenominal orientation of the trailing arm 664, as well as the resistanceto the pivoting of the trailing arm about its inward end portion, isaccomplished by a crank arm 668 that is fixedly attached to the inwardend portion of the trailing arm 664 so as to rotate about the inwardconnection point 667 of the trailing arm 664. The distal end of thecrank arm 668 is coupled to the distal end of a rod 670 projecting fromthe cylinder portion 672 of a double-acting linear control member 674.

A push rod 676 extends upwardly from a pivot connection 677 on atrailing arm 664 to pivotally interconnect with the laterally outwardend of a crank arm 678 which is pivotally attached to a lateral portionof the body 652. The opposite end of the crank arm 678 is coupled to arelatively soft linear control member 680, with the opposite end of thelinear control member coupled to a location on the body 652.

The body 652 is also supported by an upper control arm, such as trailingarm 682, pinned at its inward end to the body 652 and pinned at itsoutward end to an upward strut extending upwardly from the wheel hubassembly 666.

It will be appreciated that vehicle 650 operates similarly to othervehicles of the present invention as illustrated and described herein,including vehicle 390 illustrated in FIGS. 24-26. In this regard, duringcornering, the centrifugal force on the vehicle 650 acts through thecenter of gravity 662, which is located below the roll center 660 of thevehicle, thereby causing the body 652 to tilt inwardly into the curvebeing negotiated. At the same time, the tie structure 654 tiltsdownwardly in the laterally outwardly direction, thereby causing asimilar movement of the body and roll center 660 so that the roll centerdoes not serve as the reaction center of the vehicle, thereby reducingthe jacking effect acting on the vehicle.

A further embodiment of the present invention is schematicallyillustrated in FIG. 28 which includes certain aspects of the presentinvention shown in FIGS. 20-23. In this regard, the vehicle 440 includesa body having a structural portion 442 supported on an underlying tiestructure 444. The tie structure includes a cross tube 446 extendinglaterally across the vehicle to house a torsion bar 448 extending thefull length of the cross tube and extending outwardly therefrom. The endportions of the torsion bar are connected to the inward end portions ofleading arm assemblies 450, with the outward ends of the leading armscoupled to hub assemblies 452 of wheel assemblies 454. As discussedabove, including with respect to FIGS. 20-23, the torsion bar 440 servesto support the tie structure relative to the wheel assemblies 454 andallow relative vertical movement between the tie structure and the wheelassemblies. Spring/shock absorber assemblies 456 extend upwardly fromhub assemblies 452 to interconnect with overhanging portions of the bodystructural member 442 through the use of ball joints 458.

The body structural portion 442 is interconnected with the tie structure444 by diagonal link arms 460. The upper ends of the link arms arepinned to the body structural portion 442 at one of a plurality ofselected locations 462A, 462B and 462C. The lower, outward ends of thelink arms may be pinned at a number of different locations on slidebrackets 464 carried by, and may be adapted to slide relative to, crosstube 446 by engaging within slideways 465 extending along the upperportion of the tube 446. Any convenient means can be provided to enablethe brackets 464 to be moved along the cross tube 446. In this regard,the brackets 464 may be moved while the vehicle is in operation by apowered system so as to change the location of the roll center of thevehicle in response to road or driving conditions. It also will beappreciated that by changing the position of the upper and lower ends ofthe link arms 460, the elevation of the roll center 466 of the vehiclemay be altered as well as the camber of the vehicle. Moreover, the tiestructure 444 may be adapted to be retrofit in different vehicles.

In operation, the vehicle 440 operates in a manner similar to vehicles346 and 390 discussed above and results in substantially the sameadvantages provided by such vehicles, including the tilting of thevehicle body inwardly while cornering instead of outwardly in the mannerof a traditional vehicle.

A further embodiment of the present invention is illustrated in FIG. 29,wherein vehicle 520 may be constructed somewhat similarly to vehicles 50and 150, described above, but with the following differences. Vehicle520 includes a body 522 supported by and carried above an underlying tiestructure 524 which in turn is supported by wheel assemblies 526. As inthe tie structure 60 shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the tie structure 524 maybe generally in the form of a rectangular box-type structure thatextends longitudinally along the lower elevations of the vehicle 520between the hub carriers of the forward and rearward wheels 528 and 530.However, the tie structure 524 differs from the tie structure 60 in thatthe tie structure 524 includes a forward section 524F and a rearwardsection 524R that telescopically engage with center section 524C. Boththe forward section 524F and rearward section 524R may include top andbottom side members 532 and 534 extending along both sides of thevehicle 520 and spaced vertically apart by forward vertical members 536and rearward vertical members 538. The top side members 532 and bottomside members 534 are transversely interconnected by crossmembers 539that may be similar to crossmembers 108 and 110 of FIGS. 1 and 2. Also,as in FIGS. 1 and 2, a plurality of intermediate crossmembers (notshown) such as crossmembers 112 shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 may also beutilized for reinforcing purposes. Further, additional reinforcingmembers (not shown) may be employed in the construction of the forwardtie structure section 24F and rearward tie structure section 24R, asneeded. The forward tie structure section 524F and rearward tiestructure 524R may be constructed from any appropriate materials, suchas tubing or channel stock.

The tie structure center section 524C may be constructed somewhatsimilarly to the forward tie structure section 524F and rearward tiestructure section 524R in that such center tie structure sectionincludes top side members 532C and bottom side members 534C that arevertically interconnected by vertical end members 540 and verticalintermediate members 542. Also, appropriate crossmembers (not shown) maybe utilized to transversely interconnect the top side members 532C andbottom side members 534C. The top side members 532C and bottom sidemembers 534C may be tubular or otherwise hollow to telescopicallyreceive the rearward end portions of the top side members 532 and bottomside members 534 of the tie structure forward section 524F as well asthe forward end portions of the top side members 532 and bottom sidemembers 534 of the tie structure rearward section 524R. A friction fit,shear pins or other well-known means may be utilized to retain a nominalengagement between the tie structure center section 524C and the forwardsection 524F and rearward section 524R.

The body 522 may be supported above tie structure 524 by a forward setof pivot arm assemblies 544 mounted on the tie structure center section534C at laterally spaced-apart locations as well as rearward pivot armassemblies 545 also mounted on the tie structure center section 524C atlaterally spaced-apart locations. Such pivot arm assemblies may besimilar in construction to pivot arm assemblies 302, discussed above.The upper ends of the pivot arm assemblies 544 and 545 may beincorporated into a slider 546 that slidably engages within a slideway548 incorporated into the lower portion of body 522. Slider 546 andslideway 548 may be of various well-known constructions, some of whichhave been described above.

Spring/shock absorber assemblies 550 extend upwardly from either the hubcarriers of wheel assemblies 528 and 530 or from the tie structure 524to body 522. Such spring/shock absorber assemblies 550 may be similar tospring/shock absorber assemblies described above, including part numbers70, 80, 232 and 234. The spring/shock absorber assemblies 550 may bedesigned to carry a select proportion of the weight of the body 522relative to the portion of such body weight carried by the pivot armassemblies 544 and 545.

The vehicle 520 may include a drive system 552 preferably located at thecenter portion of the vehicle, though the drive system could also bepositioned at the front or rear of the vehicle, if desired. The drivesystem may include an internal combustion engine, an electric motor, orother type of power plant. The drive system may also utilize atransmission and drive train for transmitting the drive torque from thetransmission to the wheels to be driven. The drive train can be designedto accommodate the relative movement between the tie structure centersection and the tie structure forward 524F and/or rearward 524Rsections.

Rather than utilizing drive system 552, the vehicle 50 may be powered byelectric motors incorporated into the hub assemblies of the forward andrearward wheels. Such motors may be similar to those described abovewith respect to FIGS. 1 and 2. An example of such electric motors isdescribed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,438,882.

In operation, if the vehicle 520 is involved in an accident or impactload is otherwise imposed on the tie structure 524, for instance at theforward end of the vehicle, the tie structure forward section 524F maytelescopically engage further within tie structure center section 524Cto absorb some of the impact energy, thereby reducing the effect of thecrash on vehicle passengers as well as reducing the potential damage tothe vehicle from the crash. As the tie structure forward section 524Ftelescopes within center section 524C, the body 522 can move rearwardlyrelative to the tie structure center section 524C by virtue of themovement of the slides 546 within slideway 548. After the crash, theforward tie structure section 524F may be extended relative to tiestructure section 524C to resume its nominal position without extensiveeffort. Also, during a crash, the body 522 can move away from the pointof impact on the vehicle.

It is to be appreciated that vehicle 520 can be constructed with thebody 522 composed of telescoping sections to help absorb some of theenergy of a crash in much the same way as the structure discussed above.Also, by this construction, the body and tie structure can be designedto telescope in unison so that relative movement is not needed betweenthe body and tie structure at the locations that they are joinedtogether.

FIGS. 30 and 31 schematically illustrate a vehicle 560 comprising afurther embodiment of the present invention. The vehicle 560 includes abody 562 supported by an underlying tie structure 564 which may be inthe form of a generally rectangular structure having longitudinal sidemembers 566 and transverse end members 568. The body 562 may besupported above the tie structure 564 by A-arm assemblies 570 havingbase portion 572 pivotally mounted on the tie structure and angled sothat a line extending perpendicularly to the base portion and throughthe apex 576 of the arm assemblies will intersect at the pitch center574 and roll center 575 of the vehicle, which may be at differentelevations, but both of which are above the center of gravity 580 of thevehicle. The apex 576 of the arm assemblies may be coupled to the body562 about transverse axis 578 in a manner similar to the connection ofthe A-arm assembly 302 to body 52C, shown in FIG. 12. In this manner theintersection of axis 578 from the forward and rearward A-arm assemblies570 intersect at the roll center 580 of the vehicle. As will beappreciated, the A-arm assemblies 570 may be constructed similarly toA-arm assemblies 302 described above.

The body 562 is also supported by forward and rearward sliding pillars582 and 584 extending upwardly from hub assemblies of forward wheelassemblies 586 and rearward hub assemblies of rear wheel assemblies 588.The sliding pillars may include integral springs (not shown) to allowrelative upright motion between the wheel hub assemblies and the body,in a well-known manner.

The tie structure 564 is adapted to move longitudinally and transverselyrelative to the wheel assemblies. At the rear of the vehicle a slidingaxle assembly 589 allows transverse movement between the rear portion ofthe tie structure and the rear wheel assemblies 588. The axle assembly589 includes a central tube structure 590 for receiving telescoping axlestub shafts 592 therein. Springs or other means may be used to restrictthe relative movement between the axle stub shafts 592 and the tubestructure 590. The outward end portions of the axle stub shafts areconnected to the rear wheel hub assemblies of wheel assemblies 588.Longitudinal slide assemblies 594 allow for relative longitudinal motionbetween the tie structure 564 and the rear axle assembly 589. In thisregard, the longitudinal slide assemblies include an outer tubularmember 596 supported by the tie structure transverse end member 568 forreceiving a slide shaft 598 extending transversely from the tubestructure 590. Again, springs or other means may be utilized to limitthe relative movement between the slide shaft 598 and its correspondingtube 596.

The structure at the forward end of the vehicle 560 is similar to thatjust described with respect to the rear end of the vehicle. In thisregard, transverse slide assemblies 600 extend transversely outwardlyfrom a king pin 601 mounted on a central forward subframe assembly 602that extends forwardly from tie structure transverse member 568. Theoutward end of the slide assembly 600 is coupled to a lower portion ofsliding pillar 582.

Generally longitudinally directed slide assembly 604 extends forwardlyfrom a king pin 606 mounted at the corner portions of the tie structure568 to also couple with the lower portion of sliding pillar 582. Theking pins 601 and 606 allow the slide assemblies 600 and 604 to pivotabout a vertical axis, but restrain the slide assemblies to move in avertical direction.

The slide assemblies 600 and 604 may be actively controlled to allowrelative longitudinal and transverse motion between the forward end ofthe tie structure and the forward wheel assemblies 586 and to controlthe nominal orientation of the front wheels 586. In this regard, theslide assemblies may be in the form of hydraulic linear actuators orelectrical linear actuators or similar structures. Also, sensors 606 maybe used to sense the orientation of the wheels 586 so as to maintain thedesired alignment of the wheels. Such sensors are known in the art.

FIGS. 32 and 33 illustrate vehicle 700, wherein the hub carrier 704serves as an interconnection between the body 702 and the tie structure706. This interconnection is accomplished by utilizing a slide rod orpillar 708 that is fixed to hub carrier 704 in an upright orientation.The tie structure 706 is coupled to a slide collar 710 that closelyengages over the slide pillar 708 through the use of a pivot joint orsimilar means 712 to allow relative angular movement between the tiestructure and the collar 710. A relatively stiff lower spring 714 isinterposed between the bottom of the slide collar 710 and a stop 716affixed to the lower end of the slide pillar 708.

A body 702 is connected to an upper slide collar 718 that closely andslidably engages over the upper portion of the slide pillar 708 throughthe use of a ball joint 720 or similar means, thereby to enable the bodyto pivot relative to the slide collar springs 722, that are relativelysofter than springs 714 and are interposed between the underside of theupper slide collars 718 and the hub carrier 704 to provide springsuspension for the body.

In addition, swing arms 724 may be interposed between the tie structure706 and the body 702 to restrict longitudinal relative movement betweenthe body and the tie structure, as well as carrying part of the weightof the body on the tie structure in a manner similar to several of theembodiments of the present invention described above. It will beappreciated that the interconnection of lines extending upwardly fromthe diagonal swing arms define the roll center 726 of the body which iselevationally above the center of gravity 728 of the vehicle. As such,in the manner of the other vehicles described above, during corneringbody 702 will tilt inwardly toward the center of curvature of the curverather than outwardly in the manner of a traditional vehicle. It is tobe understood that the swing arms 724 may be replaced with alternativestructures, for example A-arms.

The vehicle 700 may include a steering system composed of rack andpinion assembly 730 having a tie rod 732 extending outwardly therefromwhich is coupled to a steering arm 734 extending transversely from theupper end of slide pillar 708, see FIG. 33. As will be appreciated, asthe steering rod 732 is moved in the direction of arrow 736, the hubcarrier 704 and its associated wheel assembly 740 are caused to turnabout slide pillar 708.

It will be appreciated that the slide pillar 708, slide structure 710,ball joint 712, spring 714, spring 722, ball joint 720, upper slidecollar 718, and other related components might be reduced in size so asto be able to fit within a diameter of the rim of a wheel 740. Inaddition to other advantages, this would reduce the bending load thathub carrier 740 would have to carry. However, such structure may limitthe amount of travel of springs 714 and 722.

Another advantage of this embodiment is the achievement of positivedynamic camber. See the discussion above regarding FIGS. 20-23. Positivedynamic camber is achieved because during cornering the tie structure706 tilts outwardly relative to the curve while the body 702 tiltsinwardly into the curve to a greater extent than the outward tilt of thetie structure. As a result of such tilting of the tie structure andbody, and the interconnection of the body and side rod at ball joint 720above the roll center, the side rods tilt inwardly into the curve whileproviding positive dynamic camber. As explained above, this improves thetraction of the vehicle during turning and cornering.

FIG. 34 illustrates another vehicle 742 that utilizes another slidingpillar arrangement. The sliding pillar 744 may be integrally constructedwith hub carrier 746 to which the vehicle wheel 748 is attached. Thevehicle body 750 is supported in part by the lower A-arm assembly 752that is coupled to a slide collar 754 that closely engages a lowerportion of the pillar 744 through the use of a pivot joint 756 orsimilar means to allow relative angular movement between the A-arm 752and the collar 754. Relatively stiff spring 758 is interposed betweenthe bottom of slide collar 754 and a stop 760 affixed to the lower endof the slide pillar 744. The opposite ends of the A-arm assembly 752 arecoupled to the lower portion of body 750 at pivot joints 762 and 764which allow relative angular movement between the A-arm assembly and thebody.

The upper portion of body 750 is supported by springs 766 that arerelatively softer than springs 758. Such springs engage over the upperportion of sliding pillar 744, with a lower end of the springs supportedby a collar stop 768 engaged over a sliding pillar 744. The upper end ofthe softer upper spring 766 presses against the underside of thehorizontal arm 770 that extends horizontally outwardly, and is rigidlyattached to body 750. A diagonal brace 772 extends upwardly and inwardlyfrom an outer, distal portion of arm 770 to intersect with body 750. Theouter end of arm 770 may be attached to a slide collar 774 which allowsrelative angular motion between the distal end of the arm 770 and thesliding pillar 744. In this instance, the softer spring 766 bearsupwardly against the underside of the slide collar 774.

Upright control members 776 may be interposed between the wheel hubcarrier 746 and arm 770. Such control members may be in the form ofcontrol springs of the type used in other embodiments of the presentinvention, as described above.

It is to be understood that the hub carrier 746 may be incorporated intoa driven axle to drive the vehicle wheels 748. Such drive may beaccomplished through hydraulic motors incorporated into the hub carriersor through torque shafts extending through the hub carriers in a mannerwell known, for example as utilized in the front wheels of a four-wheeldrive vehicle.

In addition, it is to be understood that vehicle 742 is capable ofproviding the same advantages as provided by the vehicle 700 asdescribed above, including tilting the body 750 inwardly whennegotiating a curve, or pitching the body rearwardly when braking. Inthis regard, as with other embodiments of the present invention, theA-arm assembly 752 can be oriented so that the pitch center of thevehicle as defined by the A-arm assemblies may be at an elevation thatis different from the roll center of the vehicle. Also, the A-armassemblies can be mounted on the vehicle to be adjustable in orientationand position so as to be able to change the location of the pitch and/orroll centers during vehicle operation. Moreover, the present inventionas shown in FIG. 34 also provides positive dynamic camber to the wheels748.

FIGS. 35 and 36 depict a further sliding pillar system used inconjunction with vehicle 780. As shown in the figures, a double slidingpillar is utilized with each of the vehicle wheels 782. The vehicle 780includes a hub assembly 784 having a wheel hub section 786 and a sliderframe section composed of upper diagonal arms 788 that extend upwardlyand diagonally outwardly from the central hub section 786. The sliderframe section also includes relatively shorter lower arms 790 thatextend diagonally downwardly and outwardly from the hub section 786. Thedistal ends of each of the arms 788 and 790 are in the form of ahorizontal pad or boss 791 for supporting the upright pillars 792. Thelower ends of the pillars 792 may rest on the upper portion of thecorresponding pads 791 of the arms 790, whereas upright clearanceopenings 794 may be formed in the pads 791 of the arms 788 for receptionof the pillars 792 therethrough.

The tie structure 796 may be coupled to the pillars 792 in a mannersimilar to that utilized in the embodiments of the present inventionshown in FIGS. 32 and 33. In this regard, relatively stiff lower springs798 may be interposed between the underside of slide collars 800 of thetie structure 796 and the upper side of the pads 791 of the lower arms790. Likewise, the body 802 of vehicle 780 may be coupled to the pillars792 in a manner similar to that employed with the embodiment of thepresent invention shown in FIGS. 32 and 33. In this regard, upper,relatively softer springs 804 are disposed between the underside of bodyslide collars 806 and the upper surface of the upper pads 791 located atthe distal ends of the upper arms 788.

Continuing to refer to FIGS. 35 and 36, the hub assembly 784 isspecially designed to be used in conjunction with drive axle 807connected to wheel drive shaft 808 through the use of universal joint809. Spaced apart bearings 810 are disposed between the drive axle 808and the inside diameter of hub section 786 to anti-frictionally supportthe drive axle in a manner well known in the art.

As will be appreciated, the embodiment of the present invention shown inFIGS. 35 and 36 provide the same advantages as provided in theembodiments shown in FIGS. 32, 33 and 34, including the inward tilt ofbody 802 and outward tilt of tie structure 796 during cornering as wellas the rearward tilt of body 802 and the forward tilt of tie structure796 during hard braking. The present embodiment also provides positivedynamic camber to the wheels 782 in a manner similar to that describedabove.

FIG. 37 illustrates a front elevational view of a vehicle 811 in afurther embodiment of the present invention, wherein vehicle 811includes two roller cams 812 rotatably mounted on the outer ends of anaxle shaft 814 extending transversely outwardly from a connector bracket815 located along the sides at the forward and rearward end portions ofbody 816. The roller cams 812 ride within arcuate cam grooves 817 formedin the longitudinal tie structure 818L extending along the left-handside of body 816, shown in FIG. 37. Although not shown, a right-hand tiestructure 818 extends along the right-hand side of the body 816.

A longitudinal cam roller 820 is mounted on the outer end portion of thestub shaft 822 that extends longitudinally from the connector bracket815, to engage within a close-fitting follower slot 824 formed in body816. A connector bracket (not shown) similar to bracket 815, shown inFIG. 37, is disposed on the laterally opposite side of the body at thefront and rear of the body so that a connector structure is positionedadjacent each corner of the body. As such, when negotiating a corner,the centrifugal force acting through the center of gravity 826 of thevehicle 811 will cause the body to tilt inwardly toward the center ofthe curve, and in doing so, cam rollers 820 will roll along respectivecam follower slots 824. Likewise, during braking, the deceleration forcepushing against the rear of the body will cause the body to pitch byrelative movement of the cam rollers 812 along the cam slots 817 formedin the tie structure 818, tending to lower the rear end of the vehicleand raise the upper end of the vehicle so that a high level of load isretained on the vehicle rear wheels.

It will be appreciated that rather than incorporate the cam followerslot 817 in the tie structure 818, such slot could be incorporated intoa wheel hub carrier. Alternatively, the cam roller 812 and axle shaft814 could extend laterally inwardly from a hub carrier to engage with acam roller slot formed in the connector bracket 815.

FIG. 38 illustrates a further embodiment of the present inventionwherein a vehicle 880 utilizes roller cams to allow the vehicle body 882to roll relative to an underlying tie structure 884 when a side force isapplied to the vehicle, for example, during cornering. As in otherembodiments of the present invention, the tie structure 884 is carriedby wheel assemblies 886 through the use of arm assemblies 888. The armassemblies may be resisted by a relatively torsion bar or linearresistor in a manner described herein. Also, the body 882 may besupported by softer control springs 890 which are mounted on the wheelassemblies 886. The upper ends of the control springs 890 may be coupledto an overhead portion of the body 882.

An arcuate cam slot 892 is formed in brackets 894 located at therearward and forward ends of the tie structure along the sides thereof.The cam slots are sized to receive cam rollers 896 mounted on the bodyby any convenient means, for example, utilizing stub shafts or axles(not shown). The cam slots 892 and cam rollers 896 are positioned alonga circle path 898 so that the cam rollers will smoothly roll within thecam slots without binding up. It will be appreciated that the center ofthe circle path 898 coincides with the roll center 900 of the body 882.Because the center of gravity 902 of the vehicle is below the rollcenter, when the vehicle negotiates a corner, the centrifugal forceimposed on a vehicle will act through the center of gravity, therebytending to pivot the body about the roll center. As a consequence, thebody will tilt toward the inside of the corner rather than towards theoutside as in a typical vehicle. Moreover, as in other vehiclesdescribed above, the tie structure will tilt somewhat toward the outsideof the corner (though not to the extent that the body tilts to theinside of the corner) thereby causing the roll center to also movesomewhat in an outward direction and preventing the vehicle from jackingabout the roll center.

It will be appreciated that the embodiment of the present inventionshown in FIG. 38 can be altered to allow the vehicle to pitch instead ofroll by changing the orientation of the cam slots and cam rollers 90°from that shown in FIG. 38 so that the axis of the cam rollers 896 istransverse to the length of the vehicle 880 rather than longitudinallyof the length of the vehicle as shown in FIG. 38. As a further aspect ofthe present invention, the brackets 894 can be constructed to beadjustable relative to the tie structure 884 to alter the radius of thecircle path 898. As a consequence, the extent to which the body 882rolls relative to the tie structure per level of force imposed on thevehicle can be varied as desired. In addition, the structure of FIG. 37can be incorporated into the vehicle 880 to enable the body 882 to bothpitch and roll.

A further embodiment of the present invention is shown in FIG. 39,wherein a vehicle 830 includes a body 832 supported relative to a tiestructure 834 which in turn is supported by wheel assemblies 836. Thetie structure 834 may be of a rectangular box-type construction similarto those tie structures shown in FIGS. 4, 5, 7, 10 and 13. The tiestructure 834 may be connected to hub assemblies 838 in a well-knownmanner, including in a solid axle arrangement if desired. Spring/shockabsorber assemblies 840 extend diagonally, upwardly, and inwardly fromthe tie structure 834 to interconnect with the body 832. Ball joints maybe utilized at the upper and lower ends of the spring/shock absorberassemblies 840 in a well-known manner.

A horizontal fluid strut 842 is interconnected between the tie structureand the body at an elevation corresponding to the roll center 844 of thevehicle which is at an elevation above the center of gravity 846 of thevehicle. The strut 842 is relatively stiff compared to the stiffness ofthe spring/shock absorbers 840. As such, during cornering the body 832tilts inwardly into the curve being negotiated by the compression of theinside spring/shock absorber 840 and the extension of the outsidespring/shock absorber 840. Simultaneously, the body 832 shifts somewhatlaterally outwardly against the push/pull fluid strut 842. As a result,the rate of force transfer from the body to the tie structure is lowerthan in a conventional vehicle, leading to many of the same advantagesas discussed above, even though, due to the horizontal orientation ofthe push/pull fluid strut, the roll reaction center of the vehicles isat a higher elevation than in many of the other embodiments of thepresent invention described herein.

The fluid strut 842 may be reactive as described above, or instead maybe active to cause sideways movement of the body 832 when desired. Inthis regard, a fluid pump may be used to deliver fluid to the strut orremove fluid therefrom, thereby to cause the body to move laterally.Such pump may be similar to that described above. In addition, a fluidreservoir may be employed to provide fluid to the strut and receivefluid from the strut. Also, by this construction, the stiffness of thestrut can be varied during travel. It is to be appreciated that thefluid strut 842 can be replaced by an electrically operated linearactuator.

FIG. 40 illustrates a further embodiment of the present invention,wherein vehicle 850 is constructed somewhat similarly to vehicle 830,shown in FIG. 39. However, in vehicle 850, the body is supported byleading arms 852 extending transversely outwardly from the body 854 tocouple with the upper end portions of struts 856 extending upwardly fromhub carriers 858 of the wheel assemblies 860. It is to be appreciatedthat the arms 852 may be of various constructions that are well known inthe art. Also, the arms 852 can be replaced by other means forsupporting the body. The arms 852 can be designed to twist and/or bendto accommodate road bumps and other discontinuities, thus functioning asa suspension member.

Vehicle 850 includes a tie structure 862 connected to the hub carriers858 by ball joints 864 or similar connection members. An A-framestructure 866 may extend upwardly from the tie structure to theelevation of the roll center 868 of the vehicle which is substantiallyabove the elevation of the center of gravity 870 of the vehicle. Theupper apex of the A-frame 866 may serve as a connection point for atransverse fluid strut assembly 872 which may be similar in constructionto strut 842, shown in FIG. 39. The opposite end of the strut assembly872 may be coupled to the body 854. It will be appreciated that vehicle850 is capable of operating in a manner similar to vehicle 830 describedabove, including providing positive dynamic wheel camber. In thisregard, ideally the strut assembly 872 is relatively stiff in comparisonto the arms 852, thereby to limit the sideways movement of the body whencornering. Also, various types of strut assemblies can be used.

FIG. 41 illustrates a further embodiment of the present invention thatis similar to the vehicle 850 shown in FIG. 40. Thus, the components ofthe vehicle 874 shown in FIG. 41 that are the same or similar to thatshown in FIG. 40 are identified with the same part number but with theaddition of a prime (′) symbol. The main difference between the vehiclesshown in FIGS. 40 and 41 is that vehicle 874 utilizes torsion bars 876and 878 that extend from the inward ends of leading arms 852′ across thebody 854′, to be anchored at the opposite side of the body. Thus, thetorsion bars 876 and 878 are used to accommodate relative movementbetween the tie structure 862′ and the body 854′ caused by road bumps orother road discontinuities. This function does not have to be borne bythe leading arms 852′ in the manner of the vehicle 850 shown in FIG. 40.

FIGS. 42 and 43 illustrate a further embodiment of the presentinvention, wherein a vehicle 1050 includes a body portion 1052 supportedby a pair of forward wheel assemblies 1054 and a pair of rearward wheelassemblies 1056. Referring initially to FIG. 42, the rear wheel assembly1056 includes a drive axle 1058 that may be powered by an engine (notshown) in a well-known manner. The outward ends of the drive axle 1058are held captive within an upright slide retainer 1060, of a rear slideassembly 1061, which serves the function of a tie structure as describedin other embodiments of the present invention. The axle 1058 isvertically “centered” in the slide retainer by upper and lowercompression springs 1062 and 1064, which also react against upper andlower portions of the slide retainer 1060. Each of the laterally spacedapart slide retainers 1060 are coupled to the rear portion of body 1052by upper and lower links 1066 and 1068 which are pinned to the upper andlower end portions of the slide retainer, respectively, and also pinnedto vertically spaced apart locations on the rear portion of the body1052. A crank arm 1070 is fixed to the forward end portion of upper link1066 so as to pivot about connection point 1072 of the upper link as theupper link 1066 pivots about such connection point. The distal end ofthe crank arm 1070 is pinned to the free end of shock absorber assembly1074, which is positioned generally perpendicularly to the length of thecrank arm 1070. The spring/shock absorber 1074 acts as a body spring forthe vehicle 1050. In this regard, when the rear wheel assembly 1056rises relative to the rear portion of the body 1052, the spring/shockabsorber assembly 1074 is forced to compress so as to react against suchrelative movement.

At the forward end of the vehicle 1050, a forward slide assembly 1076 isutilized, which may be similar in construction and operation to the rearslide assembly 1061. Thus, the operation of the forward slide assembly1076 will not be repeated here. One difference between the forward slideassembly 1076 and the rear slide assembly 1061 is that a bodyspring/shock absorber assembly similar to 1074 at the rear of thevehicle may not be used at the forward end of the vehicle. A torsionassembly (not shown) may be employed with one or both of the forwardlinks 1078 and 1080.

It will be appreciated that the forward links 1078 and 1080 in therearward direction are aligned to intersect with the pitch center 1082of the vehicle. The same is true for the rearward links 1066 and 1068.It will also be appreciated that the pitch center 1082 of the vehicle islocated at an elevation higher than the location of the center ofgravity 1084 of the vehicle.

In use, when the vehicle 1050 is accelerated, a rearward force acts tothe center of gravity 1084 tending to raise the rear of the vehiclesince the center of gravity is below the pitch center of the vehicle.Simultaneously the pitching couple acts through the body pitch center,causing the links 1066 and 1068 to transfer the pitching couple to theground through the rear wheel assemblies 1056. This places a downwardload on the upper link 1066 and on the lower link 1068, thereby causingthe rear slide assembly to move somewhat downwardly, thereby to applydownward load on the rear axle 1058 which in turn increases the load onthe rear wheel assemblies for better traction. Also during the downwardmovement of the rear slide assembly, the body moves downwardly somewhatso that the pitch center does not serve as the pitch reaction center,thereby lessening the rearward pitching of the vehicle during this timeperiod. It will be appreciated that during braking, the forces actinstead on the front of the vehicle 1050 in a like manner.

FIG. 44 illustrates a vehicle 1090 that also utilizes the dynamic forcesacting on the vehicle, and the corresponding movement of suspensionarms, to reduce or increase the load imposed on the vehicle's supportwheels 1092 and 1094, with the magnitude of the load reduction orincrease depending on the magnitude of the dynamic loads imposed on thebody and the lengths of the suspension arms. The body 1096 of thevehicle is supported by body spring 1110 at each wheel assembly 1092 and1094.

The vehicle 1090 includes tie structure 1098, which may be of a box-typeconstruction in a manner described in conjunction with several of theembodiments discussed above. In this regard, the tie structure mayinclude lower and upper side beams 1104 and 1106 that are verticallyinterconnected by corner posts 1108. The tie structure may also utilizelower and upper transverse members 1110 and 1112 that transverselyinterconnect the forward and rearward ends of the side beams 1104 and1106.

The corners of the tie structure may be carried by the wheel assemblies1092 and 1094 by use of crank arms 1114, having a generally horizontalarm 1116 and an upright arm 1118. At the intersection 1119 of arms 1116and 1118, the crank arm 1114 is pinned to the tie structure. The freeend of the horizontal arm may be connected to the wheel hub assembly1117. The opposite end of the arm 1116 is rigidly connected to the lowerend of upright arm 1118 that extends nominally upwardly from the arm1116. The upper end of the arm 1118 is pivotally connected to the distalend of a cylinder rod 1120, with the inward end of the rod connected toa piston 1122 that slidably engages within a hydraulic cylinder 1124. Aspring 1125 may be positioned between the piston 1122 and the end of thecylinder 1124 to nominally position the piston within the cylinder, forexample when the vehicle is stationary. The hydraulic cylinder 1124 isin hydraulic fluid connection with an upright cylinder 1126 throughhydraulic lines 1128 and 1130. The lower end of the hydraulic cylinder1126 is fixedly attached to the structure upper side beam 1106. Theupright hydraulic cylinder 1126 includes a piston 1132 connected to thelower end of a piston rod 1134, with the upper distal end of the rodcoupled to a connecting collar 1136, which engages over a stub shaft1138 extending forwardly and rearwardly from the body 1096. The couplingcollar may be replaced with a U-joint assembly.

The dynamic reactive system for interconnecting the body 1096 with thewheel assemblies 1117 in FIG. 44 operates in a manner similar to theother embodiments of the present invention described herein. In thisregard, when one end of the body 1096 pitches downwardly, it causes thecorresponding piston 1132 to extend downwardly, in turn forcinghydraulic fluid from the bottom side of cylinder 1126 to the end ofcylinder 1124 opposite rod 1120, forcing the rod outwardly relative tothe cylinder which in turn causes counterclockwise rotation of crank arm1114, tending to apply a downward force on wheel 1092, whereby causingthe adjacent end portion of the tie structure to raise somewhatupwardly. At the other end of the vehicle 1090, the reactiveinterconnecting force acts oppositely so that hydraulic fluid is forcedfrom cylinder 1126 through line 1128 to the side of piston 1122corresponding to piston rod 1120. As such, when applying a strongbraking force on vehicle 1090, significant load is maintained on therear wheels of the vehicle to assist in maintaining control of thevehicle rather than skidding or sliding sideways.

The diameter of cylinder 1124 may be larger than the diameter ofcylinder 1126 so that the amount of the body roll and/or pitch is morethan the amount of wheel movement relative to the tie structure. Also,rather than being passive as described above, the cylinders 1124 and1126 can be powered to provide an active suspension system for thevehicle 1090. A fluid pump, as described above can be utilized in thisregard. If such an active suspension system is utilized, then the post1100, described above, may be eliminated.

As a further matter, a torsion bar (not shown) can be utilized inconjunction with crank arms 1114 to nominally position the crank armsand also modulate the pivoting movement of the crank arms about pivotpoint 1119.

FIG. 45 illustrates a further embodiment of the present inventionincorporated into a semi tractor trailer 1150. The vehicle 1150 includesa tractor 1152 composed of a cab 1154 mounted on a tractor frame 1156which also serves as a tie structure of the tractor. The tractor may besupported by conventional front steerable wheels 1158 and rear drivewheels 1160.

The cab 1154 may be supported on the tie structure 1156 by fourdiagonally disposed links 1162 which may be connected at their upper andlower ends to the cab and tie structure, respectively, by pivot joints,ball joints, universal joints or other types of joints. The links 1162may be oriented so that if extended in the upper direction the linkswould intersect at a common point, which common point corresponds to theroll center and pitch center 1164 of the body. As illustrated in FIG.37, the roll/pitch center 1164 is at an elevation above the center ofgravity 1166 of the tractor.

The cab 1154 is also supported by adjustable front control members 1168supported by a front wheel hub assembly 1169 and rear control members1170, which are supported by an axle frame assembly 1171 which in turnis carried by axle members 1172. In addition, the tie structure 1156 issupported on the front hub assembly by relatively stiff, but adjustable,air shocks or pillows 1174, whereas the rear portion of the tiestructure 1156 is supported on the rear of assembly 1173 by comparableair shocks or pillows 1175.

A fifth wheel assembly 1173 includes a base portion 1176 that isdirectly supported by relatively stiff adjustable spring/slider controlmembers 1177 as well as by relatively soft linear control members 1178.A standard plate portion 1179 is supported by the base portion 1176. Thespring/slider control members extend upwardly from the tractor tiestructure to be pivotally coupled to the underside of the fifth wheelbase portion near the fore and aft center thereof. As shown in FIG. 45,two control members 1177 may be utilized in laterally spaced-apartrelationship to each other. Of course, other arrangements of the controlmembers may be utilized. A plurality of linear control members 1178 maybe utilized, as shown in FIGS. 45, 46 and 47, perhaps one at everyquadrant of the fifth wheel base 1176.

As in other embodiments of the present invention described above, by theforegoing construction, when the tractor 1152 rounds a corner thecentrifugal force acts on the body at the center of gravity 1166, whichis below the elevation of the roll center 1164, so that the body willtilt inwardly into the corner rather than outwardly as in a typicalvehicle. Correspondingly, when quickly braking, the longitudinal forceacts on the tractor at the center of gravity, which is at an elevationbelow the pitch center 1164, thereby tending to cause the rearwardportion of the cab to impose a downward force on the tie structure,thereby to maintain significant load on the rear tractor wheels 1160.

During cornering, the tie structure 1156 is allowed to tilt outwardly ofthe curve somewhat, but not to the extent that the cab tilts inwardly.During this outward tilt of the tie structure, the roll center isshifting, so it does not serve as the reaction center of the tractor,thereby reducing the jacking effect imposed on the tractor thencornering. Likewise, during hard braking, the tie structure tiltssomewhat in the forward direction, but not nearly to the extent that thecab 1154 tilts in the rearward direction. During this tilting motion ofthe tie structure/tractor frame 1156, the pitch center 1164 is shiftingso as to reduce the rate of force transfer through the tractor 1152,thereby reducing the pitch jacking effect imposed on the vehicle. Thecombined result of the rearward tilting of the cab 1154 and the somewhatforward tilting of the tie structure/tractor frame 1156 during hardbraking allows for a significant load to be maintained on the rearwheels 1160 without imposing a high pitching effect on the tractor. Thiscan result in quicker and safer braking of the tractor 1152.

The semi trailer 1150 includes a trailer portion 1180 that isconstructed to function similarly to the tractor 1152. In this regard,trailer 1180 includes a load platform 1182 that is supported above arear wheel assembly 1184. As shown in FIG. 45, a variable resistance,relatively soft control member 1186 that is supported by a subframe 1188carried by the rear hub assembly 1190 of the semi trailer 1180. Lateralstability between the trailer bed 1182 and wheel hubs 1190 is achievedby struts 1189 extending forwardly from subframe 1188 to complete thelower end of a brace 1191 that extends downwardly from the bed 1182.

As in the linear control members 1178 used in conjunction with thetractor and fifth wheel described above, the linear control members 1186are designed to accommodate relative linear, transfers, rolling andpitching movement between the load platform 1182 and the wheel hubassembly 1190. The rear end of the trailer frame/tie structure 1184 issupported on the hub assembly 1190 by a relatively stiff spring sliderassembly 1192 that extends diagonally upwardly and forwardly from a baseplate 1193 which in turn is supported above the hub assembly by an airshock 1194, which may be similar to air shocks 1174 and 1175 of thetractor 1152. The relatively stiff spring/slider assemblies 1177 and1192 are angled upwardly and diagonally rearwardly and forwardly,respectively, so that lines extending colinearly of the length of suchmembers would intersect at the pitch center 1196 of the trailer 1196which is above the center of gravity of the trailer 1198. It will beappreciated that by the foregoing construction, the trailer 1180, with aload thereon, would function in a manner very similar to the cab 1152during cornering as well as during braking and accelerating. As aresult, a much more stable semi-tractor trailer is achieved than thestandard semi-tractor trailers currently being utilized.

Semi trailer 1150 is illustrated and described as having a tractor witha tandem rear axle. However, the present invention could readily beincorporated with a tractor having a single rear axle. In that situationthe fifth wheel assembly 1173 would be supported by a single rear axle.Such semi tractor with a single rear axle would nonetheless function insubstantially the same manner as tractor 1152 described above.

It will also be appreciated that the present invention as shown in FIGS.45-47 can be incorporated into other types of vehicles, such as railcars, especially the structure of the fifth wheel assembly 1173 and thetrailer portion 1180.

FIG. 48 illustrates the present invention as incorporated into amotorcycle type vehicle 1201. The motorcycle includes a tie structure1202 that supports a body structure 1204 designed with a seat 1206. Thebody structure is supported on the tie structure by forward and rearwardlink pairs 1208 and 1210, on each side of the forward and rearward endportions of the tie structure. An extension of links 1208 and 1210 inthe upward direction would result in their intersection at the pitchcenter 1212 of the motorcycle, which is substantially above the centerof gravity 1214 of the cycle. The links 1208 and 1210 may be coupled tothe tie structure and the body by use of pivot connections in a mannerwell known.

The body 1204 is also supported and stabilized relative to forward andrearward wheels 1216 and 1218 by forward and rearward relatively softsprings 1220 and 1222. Such springs are connected between the forwardand rearward wheel hubs and the body in a well-known manner. Body stops(not shown) can be incorporated into the springs to limit the pitch ofthe body relative to the tie structure. Also, springs 1220 and 1222 canbe of other construction, as is known in the art.

The tie structure 1202 is coupled to the forward fork assembly 1224 by aforward connection arm assembly 1226 and is connected to the hub sectionof the rear wheel 1218 by a rearward connector arm assembly 1228. Atransverse forward torsion bar 1230 is interposed between the rearwardportion of the forward connection assembly 1226 and the tie structure1202, whereas a transverse rearward torsion bar 1232 or other type ofspring arrangement is interposed between the forward end of the rearwardconnector arm assembly 1228 and the adjacent portion of the tiestructure. The forward and rearward torsion bars 1230 and 1232 arerelatively stiff in comparison to the body springs 1220 and 1222. Also,other types of structures can be used in place of torsion bars 1230 and1232, for example, a crank arm and linear control member as describedherein. Also, a dampener can be used in conjunction with connection armassemblies 1226 and 1228; for example, a dampener similar to thatdampener 95 shown in FIG. 1.

The motor 1234 of the motorcycle 1201 may be mounted within andsupported by the tie structure 1202. The motor can be coupled to therear wheel 1218 of the cycle in a manner well known in the art.Alternatively, an electric motor may be incorporated into the rearand/or front wheel hubs to power the motorcycle. The battery thereforcan be carried by the tie structure, for example, at the location of theengine 1234.

In operation when accelerating or braking, a longitudinal force isimposed on the cycle 1201 through the center of gravity 1214 which is atan elevation well below the pitch center of the vehicle. As such, thebody 1204 will tend to tilt forwardly during acceleration and tiltrearwardly during hard deceleration, thereby retaining a significantload on the front wheel 1216 during acceleration and a significant loadon the rear wheel 1218 during braking. This is opposite to the typicalsituation in a motorcycle.

Also during braking, the torsion bars 1230 and 1232 allow the tiestructure to tilt downwardly somewhat in the forward direction. Due tothe torsion bars 1230 being stiffer than spring 1220, the tie structuremay be able to continue moving during braking after the shifting of thebody has ceased. As a consequence during this tilting motion, the pitchcenter 1212 is shifting, thus reducing the rate of force transferthrough the cycle during braking, thereby reducing the tendency of thecycle to pivot about its pitch reaction center. Conversely, during hardacceleration, the torsion bars 1230 and 1232 allow the tie structure totilt somewhat downwardly in a rearward direction. As a consequence, thepitch center 1212 does not serve as the pitch reaction center of thecycle. As will be appreciated, through the construction of the presentinvention, the cycle 1201 is capable of braking and accelerating in arelatively safe manner, especially in comparison with standard, typicalmotorcycles.

FIG. 49 illustrates a further embodiment of a motorcycle 1240constructed in accordance with the present invention. The motorcycle1240 is constructed similarly to motorcycle 1201. As such, thecorresponding components of motorcycle 1240 are given the same partnumbers as in motorcycle 1201 but with the addition of an “A” suffix.Construction function motorcycle 1240 that is the same or similar tomotorcycle 1201 will not be repeated here.

One difference between motorcycle 1240 and motorcycle 1201 is that inmotorcycle 1240 the engine 1234A actually functions as a part of the tiestructure 1202A. In this regard, the rear links 1210A and rear connectarm assembly 1228A are mounted to the rear portion of the engine 1234A.Having the engine 1234A function as part of the tie structure 1202Areduces the complexity and weight of the motorcycle 1240.

As another feature of the present invention, the seat 1206A is locatedat an elevation below the top of the front and rear wheels 1216A and1218A. This allows a relatively low overall center of gravity for themotorcycle and rider relative to motorcycles in which the rider sitshigher relative to the wheels.

FIGS. 50 and 51 illustrate the present invention being incorporated intoa railway car 1250. The railway car includes a body 1252 supported abovea tie structure 1260 by corner links 1256 that extend diagonally,inwardly at the front of the tie structure and diagonally, inwardly atthe rear of the tie structure. The upper ends of the links 1256 may becoupled to the body using pivot connections, ball joints, universaljoints or other appropriate means. The lower ends of the corner links1256 are coupled to mounting ears 1258 that project upwardly from tiestructure 1260, projecting forwardly and rearwardly from an axlestructure 1254. The tie structure includes a transverse torsion bar 1262over which an elongate collar or tube 1261 engages. Bushings can be usedbetween the inside diameter of the tube 1261 and the outside diameter ofthe box 1262. Ears 1258 project upwardly from the collar. The torsionbar 1262 is coupled (for example, splined) to the outward, distal endsof arms 1264 that cantilever from the axle assembly 1254. The inwardends of the arms 1264 are coupled to the axle assembly 1254 by balljoints or similar means to allow the arms to turn about an axisextending along the length of the arms.

As most clearly shown in FIG. 50, the corner links 1256 may bediagonally disposed relative to the body 1252 so that if extended intheir upwardly direction they would intersect at a point 1266 thatfunctions as the roll center of the railway car. As apparent, such rollcenter is above the center of gravity 1268 of the railway car.

The weight of the body 1252 may also be carried in part by spring/shockabsorber assemblies 1270 extending upwardly from the axle assembly 1254and coupled to an overhead portion of the body 1252. The characteristicsof the spring/shock absorber assembly 1270 can be varied as desired soas to select the relative amount of the weight of the body 1252 beingcarried by the spring/shock absorber assemblies.

The axle assembly 1254 is carried by standard railway wheels 1272 whichride on standard railway tracks 1274. The wheels 1272 can be replaced tofit different tracks. The wheels 1272 are mounted on wheel axles 1275.

In use, when the railway car 1250 is rounding a corner, the centrifugalforce is applied thereto through the center of gravity 1268. Because thecenter of gravity is located below the roll center 1266, the body 1252will tilt inwardly into the corner as opposed to tilting outwardly in amanner of a standard railway car. Moreover, during such tilting of thebody 1252, the tie structure tilts somewhat downwardly on the outwardside of the corner, but not nearly to the extent that the body 1252 iscapable of tilting. This movement of the tie structure 1260 is resistedby torsion bar 1262. Moreover, due to the torsion bar 1262 beingrelatively stiffer than the spring/shock absorber assemblies 1270, thetilt of the body will be completed before the maximum tilt of the tiestructure occurs. As a result, a rate of force transfer through therailway car 1250 is lower than would occur if the tie structure had“bottomed out” before the body had “bottomed out.” As a consequence, thegeneration of a significant roll couple tending to roll the railway carabout the outward wheels 1272 during cornering is forestalled. As such,the railway car 1250 is designed to provide some of the same advantagesprovided by the other vehicles described herein.

A further embodiment of the present invention that is specificallydesigned for incorporation into a rail car 1277 is illustrated in FIG.52. The illustrated rail car includes a body portion 1278 supported onan underlying tie structure/axle 1279 by relatively soft air pillowstructures 1280 upon which an anchoring plate 1281 pivotally supportsthe underside of a load bearing column structure 1282 which isinterconnected by body structural members 1283 and 1284. An axle shaft1285 axles the tie structure 1279 to wheels 1286 which ride onconventional rails 1287.

The body 1278 is also connected to the tie structure 1279 by diagonallydisposed hydraulic sliders 1288 having their upper end pinned to bodystructural member 1283 and their lower end pinned to the outward end ofa horizontal double piston cylinder assembly 1290 mounted on the tiestructure 1279. The outward end of the piston rods 1291 are pinned tothe lower outboard ends of the hydraulic sliders 1288. It will beappreciated that the hydraulic sliders 1288 are oriented so that linesextending colinear thereto intersect at the lateral center of the railcar at an elevation corresponding to the roll center 1292 of the railcar, which is above the center of gravity 1294 of the rail car.Moreover, by extending or contracting the cylinder rods 1290, thevertical location of the roll center 1292 may be varied as desired,including during actual operation of the rail car.

It will be appreciated that the rail car 1277 operates in a mannersimilar to rail car 1250 described above, whereby when the rail car 1277is rounding a corner, that centrifugal force is applied thereto throughthe center of gravity 1294. Because the center of gravity 1294 islocated below the roll center 1292, the body 1278 will tilt inwardlyinto the corner as opposed to tilting outwardly in the manner of astandard rail car.

FIG. 53 illustrates a further embodiment of the present inventionwherein vehicle 1400 employs a tie structure 1402 in the form of anupright structure adjacent each of the wheel assemblies 1404 of thevehicle. The vehicle includes a steerable hub carrier assembly 1406integrated into the wheel assembly 1404. The hub carrier assemblyincludes an upright inboard post portion 1408 which is coupled to afurther inboard upright tie structure post 1402 by parallel upper andlower arms 1410 and 1412. Also, a relatively stiff strut or springassembly 1414 extends upwardly and diagonally inwardly from the lowerend of hub carrier post 1408 to an upper portion of the tie structure1402, perhaps at the same location that the upper arm 1410 couples tothe tie structure. Preferably the strut/spring assembly is doubleacting, so as to resist movement of the tie structure in both the upwardand downward directions relative to the hub carrier assembly. It will beappreciated that the spring assembly 1414 supports the tie structure1402 relative to the hub carrier assembly 1406, and links 1416 and 1418couple the tie structure to the adjacent portion of the vehicle body1420. As shown in FIG. 53, the inboard ends of the links 1416 and 1418are oriented so that lines extending colinearly with the links 1416 and1418 intersect at the roll center 1422 of the vehicle. Also, relativelysofter spring assemblies 1424 extend upwardly from hub carrier post 1408to couple with an overhead portion of the body 1420.

It will be appreciated that the present invention shown in FIG. 53allows the body 1420 to tilt inwardly into a curve during corneringwhile allowing a controlled amount of outward movement and tilt of thetie structure 1402 so that the roll center 1422 also moves outwardly,thereby preventing the vehicle from jacking about the reaction center asroll center is moving outwardly. In this regard, when cornering thecentrifugal force on the vehicle 1400 acts through the center of gravity1426 which is below the roll center 1422, thereby causing the body 1420to tilt inwardly into the curve. At the same time, the force beingimposed on the roll center 1422 in the direction of arrow 1428 imposescompression loads on links 1416 and 1418, which load is resisted byspring assembly 1414. As a result, the tie structure post 1402 tends tomove downwardly. This downward motion of the tie structure post allowsthe roll center 1422 of the vehicle to move slightly downwardly as thevehicle is cornering, thereby preventing the vehicle from jacking aboutthe reaction center during movement thereof. As will be appreciated, thepresent invention as shown in FIG. 53 provides the same advantages ofother embodiments of the present invention without requiring a tiestructure of a significant structure.

FIG. 54 illustrates a further embodiment of the present invention,wherein a vehicle 1450 includes a hub carrier assembly 1452 which isattached to the lower end of a MacPherson strut assembly 1454. The upperend of the strut assembly 1454 is coupled to an overhead portion of thevehicle body 1456 in a well-known manner. A drive axle (not shown) canbe incorporated into the hub carrier assembly 1452 to drive the wheelassembly 1458 in a well-known manner. Also, the wheel assembly 1458 maybe steerable using a steering system similar to that described withrespect to FIG. 34, above. In this regard, an actuator assembly 1460 isconnected to the upper arm 1462 of a pivot arm assembly 1464 which ispivotally mounted along the height of the MacPherson strut 1454. Theupper arm 1462 extends forwardly (out of the paper) from the upper endof the pivot arm assembly 1464 for coupling to the laterally outward endof the actuator assembly 1460. Thus, as the actuator assembly 1460extends and retracts, the pivot arm assembly 1464 is caused to pivotabout a vertical axis. A lower arm 1468 extends forwardly (out of thepaper) from the lower end of the pivot arm assembly 1464 to couple witha lateral steering arm 1470 that extends laterally from the lower arm tocouple with an arm 1472 that extends forwardly (out of the paper) fromsteering knuckle 1474 which is integral with wheel spindle 1476. In thisway, steering is accomplished through a remote system that is actuatedby this steering wheel through a hydraulic or electrical system (whichis not shown but is well known in the automotive industry). It will beappreciated that other steering systems can be utilized in place of thesteering system of FIG. 54 without departing from the spirit or scope ofthe present invention.

A relatively stiff spring slider assembly 1478 (preferably doubleacting) is interconnected between the lower end of the MacPherson strutassembly 1454 and an inward portion of the vehicle body 1456. Thespring/slider assembly 1478 is positioned so that a line extendingcolinearly therefrom passes through the roll center 1480 of the vehicle,which is located somewhat above the center of gravity 1482 of thevehicle. It will be appreciated that the spring slider assembly 1478 canbe passive and thus reacting to lateral forces applied to the vehicle,or can be active so as to control the roll of the vehicle as desired.

It will be appreciated that vehicle 1450 shown in FIG. 54 provides thesame advantages as vehicle 1400 shown in FIG. 53. In this regard, duringcornering, centrifugal force imposed on the vehicle 1450 acts throughthe center of gravity 1482, which is below the roll center 1480, therebytending to cause the body 1456 to rotate inwardly during cornering aboutthe roll center. At the same time, the centrifugal force on the body istransmitted to the wheel assembly 1458 through the roll center 1480 andthrough the spring/slider assembly 1478, thereby causing compression ofthe spring/slider assembly and thus allowing a certain amount of lateraland downward movement of the body 1456 toward the outside of the curve.During this lateral movement, the body roll center 1480 does not serveas the reaction center about which the vehicle would typically jack,thereby reducing the jacking effect imposed on the vehicle duringcornering as in the other embodiments of the present invention.

FIG. 55 shows an alternative embodiment of the spring/slider assembly1478 of FIG. 54. In FIG. 55, the spring/slider assembly 1486 includestwo spring/slider units 1488 that are in parallel relationship to eachother, being separated by transverse connecting brackets 1490. It willbe appreciated that the construction of the spring/slider assembly 1486shown in FIG. 55 can provide increased stability of the vehicle bodyrelative to the steering and suspension system in the fore and aftdirection. In all other respects, the present invention shown in FIG. 55may be similar to or the same as shown in FIG. 54.

FIG. 56 shows a further alternative embodiment of the slider/strutassembly 1478 of FIG. 54. In the slider/strut assembly 1492 of FIG. 56,the inboard end thereof is attached to an A-arm assembly 1494 which iscoupled to the vehicle (not shown) at ball joints 1496 or similarjoints. Also shown in FIG. 56, control lines 1497 and 1498 interconnectwith opposite ends of the cylinder portion 1499 of the spring/sliderassembly 1492 so as to provide active control for the spring/sliderassembly. In this regard, the lines 1497 and 1498 may be connected to afluid supply system (not shown). It can be appreciated that rather thanbeing actuated by a fluid, the spring/slider assembly 1492 may beelectrically controlled in a manner that is well known. It will also beappreciated that a structure shown in FIG. 56 provides the sameadvantages as that shown in FIG. 54, and operates in substantially thesame manner. The use of the A frame 1494 enables the strut/sliderassembly to be connected to the body at more than one location, therebyspreading out the load on the body when force is transferred between thebody and the spring/slider assembly.

FIGS. 57 and 58 illustrate a further embodiment of the present inventionwherein vehicle 1500 includes a body 1502 supported on a combination hubcarrier and slider assembly 1504 coupled to wheel assembly 1506. Thewheel assembly 1506 may be adapted to be steered relative to the hubcarrier/slider 1504 by various systems, including those described above.Pairs of upper and lower A-arms 1508 and 1510 interconnect the body 1502to the hub carrier/slider assemblies. As shown in FIG. 57, the A-arms1508 and 1510 are oriented in the diagonally upwardly and laterallyinwardly direction so that lines extending therefrom that bisect the twoarms of each A-arm assembly intersect at the roll center of the vehicle1512 which is above the center of gravity of the vehicle 1514. Thelaterally inward ends of the A-arm assemblies 1508 and 1510 may becoupled to the body with ball joints or other types of joints. Thelaterally outward ends of the A-arm assemblies 1508 and 1510 are coupledto sliders 1516 and 1518 that are constrained to slide up and down aslideway 1520 formed along the height of a post portion 1522 of the hubcarrier/slider assembly.

Referring to the fragmentary side elevational view shown in FIG. 58, theA-arm assemblies 1508 and 1510 are oriented in the fore and aftdirection of the vehicle 1500 so that lines extending through theconnections of the A-arm assemblies to the body intersect at the pitchcenter 1523 of the vehicle. As described in other embodiments of thepresent invention, for example, the embodiment shown in FIGS. 10 and 11,orienting the A-arm assemblies in this manner allows the vehicle topitch about its pitch center during acceleration and braking, but in theopposite direction of a standard vehicle.

Relatively soft springs 1524 and 1526 extend between the inward hubportion 1528 of the hub carrier/slider assembly 1524 and one or both ofthe arms of the A-arm assemblies 1508 and 1510. The springs 1524 and1526 are able to support the inward ends of the A-arm assembliesrelative to the slideway 1520 while allowing the A-arm assemblies tomove up and down within the slideway. A stiffer linear control unit 1530is pivotally coupled to the inward end of the hub portion 1528 and alsocoupled to the body 1502, for example at, or close to, the location thatthe upper A-arm assembly 1508 is coupled to the body. The control unit1530 (preferably double acting) resists the lateral movement of the bodyrelative to the hub carrier/slider assembly 1504.

The embodiment of the present invention shown in FIGS. 57 and 58functions very similarly to other embodiments of the present invention.In this regard, during cornering the centrifugal force acting on thevehicle 1500 acts through the center of gravity 1514. The longitudinalforces acting on the vehicle during braking or accelerating also actthrough the center of gravity 178 of the vehicle 1514. As such, duringcornering, the body 1502 will tilt inwardly toward the center of thecurve. Correspondingly during braking, the body will tend to tiltdownwardly in a rearward direction and during accelerating the body willtend to tilt downwardly at the forward end of the vehicle. This iscontrary to the conventional direction of vehicle body roll duringcornering or vehicle body pitch during acceleration or braking.

Moreover, during cornering, the centrifugal force acting on the vehicleare transmitted to the ground through the roll center 1512 through thehub carrier/slider assembly 1504 and to the wheel assemblies 1506. Assuch, the adjacent portion of the body 1502 shifts somewhat downwardlyand outwardly, with the sliders 1516 and 1518 sliding down slideway1520, causing the inward ends of the A-arms 1508 and 1510 to lowerrelative to the hub carrier/slider assembly 1504. This movement of thebody is resisted by the control unit 1530 which only allows a certainamount of such body movement. However, such movement is sufficient toprevent the roll center 1512 to serve as the reaction center of thevehicle, thereby reducing the jacking effect imposed on the vehicleduring cornering.

The same effect is achieved during braking or accelerating, whereinduring braking the body 1502 tends to shift somewhat in the forwarddirection and during acceleration the body tends to shift somewhat in arearward direction relative to the hub carrier/slider assembly. Thus,during such braking or accelerating the pitch center of the vehicle doesnot serve as the reaction center causing the body to dive during brakingor squat during accelerating, as described above in other embodiments ofthe present invention. However, one difference in the embodiments of thepresent invention shown in FIGS. 54-58 is that no tie structure per seis required in order to achieve the advantageous operatingcharacteristics of the vehicles 1450 and 1500. Rather, such effect isachieved by the construction and orientation of the suspension systemcomponents of these vehicles.

While the preferred embodiments of the invention have been illustratedand described, it will be appreciated that various changes can be madetherein without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.Also, it is to be appreciated that the present invention may be utilizedin a wide range of vehicles, including passenger vehicles, SUVs,all-terrain vehicles, racing vehicles, dragsters, motorcycles, trucks,pickups, tractors as well as rail cars. Although the present inventionhas been illustrated in terms of wheeled vehicles, the present inventionmay also be incorporated into track vehicles, for instance militarypersonnel carriers and tanks.

1. A vehicle suspension system for a vehicle having a body, the bodyhaving a pitch center and a roll center, the vehicle having at least onesurface engaging vehicle support assembly, the vehicle having a reactioncenter, comprising: (a) at least one tie structure interposed betweenthe vehicle support assembly and the body of the vehicle to serve as thepath for the forces imposed on the vehicle that travel between the pitchor roll center and the support assembly, wherein the tie structure isselected from the group consisting of: (i) a singular tie structureinterposed between the vehicle support assembly and the body; (ii) a tiestructure at the front of the vehicle interposed between the frontportion of the vehicle and a front vehicle support assembly and/orinterposed between the rear portion of the vehicle and a rear vehiclesupport assembly; and (iii) a tie structure at each of the vehiclesupport assemblies interposed between a corresponding vehicle supportassembly and the body; (iv) a tie structure interposed between the bodyand multiple vehicle support assemblies; and (v) a tie structure atindividual vehicle support assemblies and interposed between acorresponding vehicle support assembly and the body at one location ofthe vehicle and at another location of the body, a tie structureinterposed between the body and multiple vehicle support assemblies; (b)a first interconnecting system for interconnecting two or more of the(i) vehicle support assembly, (ii) the tie structure(s), and (iii) thebody so as to allow one of the pitch center, roll center and pitch androll center, such center being located at an elevation above thereaction center of the vehicle, to move in the direction of the forcesthat are imposed on the vehicle, thereby to preclude the applicable rollcenter, pitch center, or pitch and roll center from serving as thereaction center of the vehicle; (c) a second interconnecting system forinterconnecting the tie structure(s) and the body about the pitch centeror the roll center, both centers being located at elevations above thereaction center of the vehicle, whereby upon forces being imposed on thevehicle during operation of the vehicle, the body rotates around thecenter(s) of rotation relative to the tie structure, in the directionopposite to the direction of the forces acting on the vehicle in pitchor roll; and (d) a load control system for generating a resistance tothe movement of the pitch or roll center(s) which is greater than theresistance generated by the load control system to the movement of thecenter of gravity of the vehicle due to forces applied to the vehicleduring operation of the vehicle.
 2. A vehicle suspension systemaccording to claim 1, comprising one tie structure connecting the bodyand the support assembly, wherein the tie structure has a constructionincluding a space frame, one piece, and/or different materials.
 3. Avehicle suspension system according to claim 1, wherein the load controlsystem includes a load control means selected from the group consistingof a torsion bar, a rubber structure, an air spring, a shock absorber, arotational actuator, and a linear actuator.
 4. A vehicle suspensionsystem according to claim 1, wherein the height of the pitch and/or rollcenters are adjustable.
 5. A vehicle suspension system according toclaim 1, wherein the load control system is operationallyinterconnected.
 6. A vehicle suspension system according to claim 1,wherein the path of the forces from the center of gravity to the supportassembly is substantially the same as that from the pitch and/or rollcenters.